The Girl Of My Dreams
by May Vulcan
Summary: *REVISING CHAPTERS 1-23* *FINAL CHAPTER OUT* Dream after dream, Harry keeps seeing a girl that can just give him butterflies in his stomach. His only problem with this is that every time he comes even close to seeing the face of this girl he wakes up. *Full Summary Inside*
1. The Mystery Awakens

**FULL SUMMARY: **Once upon a dream, Harry Potter finds himself face to face with a girl that gives him butterflies in his stomach; he is thoroughly convinced that this girl not only exists but she goes to Hogwarts with him. So what seems to be the problem? He's never seen her face; every time he comes close to seeing the face of this girl, he wakes from his dream. So when he tells his best gal pal, Elaine, she laughs and tries to convince Harry that his so-called "dream girl" really is just in his dreams. Is Elaine right? Or is Harry's dream girl a reality?

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><p><strong>DISCLAIMER: <strong>With the exception of Elaine Port, the characters of this story are all J.K. Rowling's puppets; I am merely the puppeteer. Please enjoy!

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><p><strong>STORY DEDICATION(S):<strong>

To the girl who mocked my obsession for Harry Potter until she finally read the books cover to cover –_faewallflower_

**and**

To the boy who begged if he could read the story without knowing its origination as a fanfic – _erwienerrr_

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><p><span>Chapter 01 – The Mystery Awakens<span>

"Saint Potter, at last," sneered the cold voice of Draco Malfoy.

Rolling his eyes, Harry clenched his fists tightly. Couldn't he enjoy his first week back at Hogwarts without running into the likes of Malfoy? Apparently not.

"What the bloody hell do you want?" Ron hissed back as the Golden Trio turned to face the Slytherin posse behind them. "Isn't it enough that we have to share the same air?"

"What? Too poor to pay attention now, Weasel-bee?" the Slytherin taunted. "I'm only here for the four-eyed, scar head has been, not you or your Mudblood girlfriend."

Harry clenched his fist tighter, grit his teeth and intensified his glare. Why was Draco so intent on tormenting Harry right now? It was the beginning of the year and the last thing on his mind – if it was on his mind at all – was having to deal with the insufferable ferret boy.

"Can we settle whatever this is in the morning?" Harry crossed his arms across his chest, annoyed with the trio in front of him. "You're the last person I want to be dealing with right now."

"Nonsense, Potter!" Draco reached into his robe pocket, brandishing his wand. "Let's settle things the old-fashioned way."

Why was this necessary? Malfoy probably had nothing better to do with his life anymore, Harry thought to himself. Pushing Hermione and Ron behind him, Harry pulled out his wand and groaned; there really was only way to settle this.

"_Levicorpus_!"

Harry rolled his eyes as he was quickly hoisted into the air. He looked at Hermione and Ron, as if telling them to do nothing; these little run-ins with Draco were getting old and there was no known explanation behind any of them.

"Had enough, Malfoy?" Hermione scoffed as she rolled her eyes at the Slytherin and his two goons.

"Stay out of this, Mudblood!"

"_Expelliarmus_!" Harry watched as the scarlet light left the end of his wand. Draco's wand immediately flew across the hallway, leaving him disarmed. "_Liberacorpus_!"

Harry soon found himself face flat on the stone floor of Hogwarts. Groaning, he pushed himself to his feet and continued to glare at Draco. The Slytherin was really starting to get under Harry's skin; all he wanted to do was go to bed early with no disruptions whatsoever! Why was that so hard to ask of the universe?

"Going to run off to mother dearest now, are you, Potter?" Draco's statement prompted snickers from Crabbe and Goyle. "Because last I heard-."

"Shut up!" Harry whirled around, colliding his tightly balled up fist with Draco's face. As Malfoy collapsed to the ground, Harry turned once more, only to crash into a slightly shorter, light-brown haired student. The collision with the other student caused Harry to fall over, hitting his head on the floor below him.

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><p><em>The melodic sound of the piano filled the room as the light of the fire danced in tempo with the music. Harry stood beside the girl sitting at the piano bench, watching her hands flutter across the black and white keys of the piano. Slowly, he let out a sigh of happiness as he slipped himself behind the piano and on the bench. The raven-haired boy noticed the mysterious haze that clouded the girl's facial features. The young wizard, now sixteen, was sitting in the Room of Requirements – or so he guessed – with the girl of his dreams.<em>

_The peaceful tune stopped abruptly. "Harry, my love," the girl's voice purred as she drew her hands away from the piano, "you realize that this is all just a dream. Once you arise from your slumber, all of this…" Harry watched her motion to herself and their surroundings. "… will be no more."_

_Resting his head on her shoulder, he slipped his right hand around her waist. Harry couldn't help but want to get a peek at her face. "I would sleep forever if it means being able to hold you in my arms!"_

"_Harry James Potter… you are so… cheesy!" giggled the girl as her laughter filled the instrument-filled, candle-lit room._

_Harry nuzzled his head against her shoulder. She seemed so familiar, but the feeling she gave him was so surreal. He brought her closer to himself, lifting his head to kiss her neck. "I… will be… anything," he said between kisses, "you want me to be."_

_The girl went along with the kisses, running her hand through his hair from time to time. He stopped kissing her for a moment to release her from his embrace. Smiling to himself, he sighed happily once more._

"_Can I see your face?" he pleaded softly. "This has gone on long enough…"_

"_So you wish it," she whispered seductively in Harry's ear, "so it shall be."_

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><p>"G'morning, Ron!" Elaine Port called from across the Gryffindor Common Room. "Where's Harry?"<p>

The lanky red-haired boy looked up from his copy of _The Daily Prophet_. As his blue eyes locked with the short girl's brown ones, Ron let out a small laugh. He carelessly tossed the newspaper to the opposite end of the couch before standing to meet Elaine on the other side of the room.

"He found his way to the boys' dorm in the middle of the night," commented Ron, folding his arms across his chest. "Luckily, he seemed okay enough to make it there himself. But where were you? I thought you were gonna watch over him last night!"

Scratching the back of her head nervously, Elaine stifled a small chuckle. "Sorry," she sighed, "I guess I knocked out myself… he wasn't the only victim to the collision, ya'know!"

"Anyways, the last I saw of him was this morning," Ron went on. "He was still sleeping in the dormitory with a smile on his face."

"Why the hell would he be smiling?" Ron shrugged at Elaine's question.

"Beats me! But he was like that when he came over to the Burrow," Ron replied. "I was under the impression that he was just enjoying his dreams."

Elaine rolled her eyes. "D'ya reckon he's still having weird visions about You-Know-Who?"

"Why would he be smiling at _that_?" Ron wondered. "Besides, that's not really a problem anymore…"

Nodding, Elaine sighed, "Then maybe he's dreaming about Chang… or your sister!"

"Hey!" Ron shot a fiery glare toward the girl. "You can knock it off with those jokes now, Port. You might actually be giving Harry ideas."

"I only kid, Ronald," replied the Gryffindor girl.

With that, Elaine raced up the stairs and into the sixth year boys' dormitory. Looking at the bed in which Harry slept, she smiled slightly to herself. He looked so peaceful and happy… so _different_ than when he was awake. It was only a week in and Harry was uptight and distraught about the world around him that it seemed like the boy she liked had forgotten how to laugh.

"Harry…?" Elaine called, kneeling at Harry's bedside. "Wake up!"

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><p><em>Harry jumped off the piano bench immediately.<em>

"_You can't be serious!" he exclaimed. "You're actually going to show me your face? No more mysterious haze blocking your head from my vision?"_

"_Wake up!" a voice called from the outside world._

Almost instantly, Harry was ripped out of his dream world, waking up to the round face of Elaine Port. The sixteen-year-old boy shut his eyes tightly, hoping to recapture the images from his dream before the entire scene faded from his memory forever. He groaned to himself as he threw his pillow over his face, encasing himself within total darkness.

"Thank you so much for the _lovely_ wake up call!" Harry grumbled sardonically from beneath the pillow. "You've completely ruined everything!"

Elaine raised an eyebrow at her friend, a smirk clearly visible on her face. She propped herself on the neatly made bed beside Harry's. "What ever is the matter, Potter dear? I cut off your dream right before you snogged Ginny Weasley and rode off into the sunset to make deep, passion love to each other?"

Harry roughly lobbed his pillow at the light brown-haired girl. "What are you doing here? And why do you always joke about Ginny and me like that?" he asked, reaching for his glasses on the nightstand. "You know that she had feelings for me! If she overheard any of the jokes you made, you might give her ideas!"

Elaine let out a long, understanding sigh. "Yeah… I get it, okay?" she mumbled to herself. "You wouldn't want to be giving her false hope, right?"

"Exactly," Harry said, attempting to fix his perpetually messy head of hair. "I mean, c'mon. Ginny's like a little sister to me! Dating her would be like… dating you!"

Allowing herself to lay on Ron's bed, Elaine rolled her eyes. She stared at the fabric that hung above her. She grabbed Harry's pillow and screamed into it angrily before throwing back at Harry.

"I get it!" Elaine laughed at the reaction she got from Harry. Maybe screaming into the pillow out of frustration wasn't the smartest of ideas. "But it wasn't about Ginny, who were you dreaming about? Cho Chang?"

"No…" he murmured nervously.

Elaine stared at the boy with the lightning scar blankly. "Then…?"

"That's the thing; I don't know who it is!"

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><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE<strong>

**[REWRITTEN]: **_March 28, 2014_**  
>[<span>REPUBLISHED<span>]: **_March 28, 2014_**  
>[<span>LAST UPDATED<span>]:** _July 16, 2014_**  
>[<span>WORD COUNT<span>]: **_1,538 words without a/n, summary, disclaimer and dedications._

**[MV COMMENTS]:** _hello dear readers; it's mv again. sorry for the long hiatus on the chapterly updates. the only thing i changed from the last republishing from this story was the title. this story _is _currently undergoing _major_ revamping and i thank you for patience with its upcoming end. love ya! ~ xoxo mv_


	2. The Recapitulation and the Reassurance

**CHAPTER DEDICATION(S): **

_Daisuki1993_ – I'm touched that you enjoy my story _and _that you like my style. Thanks for your review! I will also be dedicating the final chapter in your honor.

_Kazume Suigama –_ Sorry about the cliffhanger from Chapter 23. I'm glad that you think the story's great! Thank you for your review. You'll also have Chapter 24 dedicated to you.

_Matanator_ – Harry really is dense, no? And thanks for the review! I actually hadn't intended the chapter title to be a pun, but it worked out perfectly, I guess, haha. Chapter 24 will also be dedicated to you.

**and**

_Skye_ – I'm so sorry that I crushed your hopes! I really didn't mean to! I hope that I won't be doing that again in the finale. Thank you for your review! I would also like to dedicate Chapter 24 to you.

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><p><span>Chapter 02 – The Recapitulation and the Reassurance<span>

As he slowly and carelessly threw his sheets about the bed, Harry droned on about his concern for the girl in his dreams. He told Elaine about how perfectly she fit the criteria he created for any girl he would like to date. The boy with the raven hair even explained how his latest dream was a date idea he had hoped to share and make a reality. However, as he had said to Elaine, there was only one thing standing in the way of Harry and his dream girl.

"Is it the pretty obvious fact that she _doesn't exist_?" Elaine questioned matter-of-factly.

Shooting a death glare at the light-haired Gryffindor on Ron's bed, Harry huffed and crossed his arms across his chest. He looked at his sloppily made bed and then, giving up, he leaned against the bed corner closest to Elaine. His expression had gone from angry to grave.

"What if it's Lord Voldemort trying to figure out my weakness?" he said under his breath. "It absolutely wouldn't be the first time he's done something like this…"

Elaine let out a sigh of understanding before she hopped off of Ron's bed. She walked over to Harry, touching his forehead with the back of her hand. "Harry, how many times do I have to tell you?" she asked, using her other hand to uncross his arms. She took his hands into hers and held onto them tightly. "He's gone now… you have _nothing _to worry about anymore."

Harry recoiled his hands from Elaine's grasp. "What are you talking about?" he wondered. "Are you forgetting about what happened at the Ministry last year? He's still out there somewhere!"

Watching as Harry collapsed back into his bed, Elaine sighed once more. She followed suit, plopping herself right beside Harry on the bed.

"Seems like you hit your head a little harder than I thought you did," she mumbled quickly to herself. Elaine turned to the distraught sixteen-year-old beside her and touched the back of her hand to his forehead. "Harry, I don't know how much you remember of last year – or even of last night – but I repeat: you have _nothing _to worry about.

"You-Know-Who was defeated last year at the battle at the Ministry. Yes, I know he used a dream – or what have you – to lure to there… and yes, we did fall into his little trap," Harry could see the stress building up within Elaine as she tried to recollect the occurrences of their previous year. "… but your parents defeated him to save you… are you remembering _any _of this?"

Harry blinked multiple times as Elaine stared blankly at him. He thought back to the happenings of last year. He remembered going to the Ministry and falling into Voldemort's trap, but after that everything was a dull blur. His head started spinning as he tried to recall his parents' heroic rescue; the back of his head throbbed with a dullness.

"I remember the first half," he said honestly. "The rest is just a blur to me."

Elaine's shoulders dropped sullenly as she grabbed Harry's hands in hers once more; she was enjoying this a little more than she was supposed to. "We should get you to the Hospital Wing and have Madam Pomfrey take a look at you-."

"I'll be fine, Elaine," Harry assured, a sinister smile now appearing on his face.

Arching her eyebrow with curiosity, Elaine staring accusingly at the Boy Who Lived. "Evil does not become you, Potter," remarked the light-brown haired girl. "What's with the face?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, Port," Harry chimed innocently, helping himself off his bed. "Can't a guy just be happy?"

Elaine shook her head. "Yeah, _normal_ guys can be," she replied, "but you're Harry freakin' Potter; there is absolutely nothing _normal _about you! For Merlin's sake, Potter, you're dreaming about a bloody stranger who – might I add – may not even be real!"

Rolling his eyes, Harry made his way over to his trunk at the end of his bed. As he knelt down and opened it, he continued to grin mischievously. With Voldemort out of the picture, Harry was positive that the girl of his dreams was not just his mind playing tricks on him. It was absolutely _perfect_, Harry thought to himself.

"Are you even listening to me, Potter?" Elaine nagged. Poking his head around the lid of his luggage, Harry stared back at her in confusion. "I said: what's with the smile?"

Turning back to his trunk, Harry sighed merrily as he dug through his piles of clothing to look for an outfit for the day. "I know she's out there, Elaine," he said confidently. "And now that I know that Voldemort has nothing to do with her, I can find her."

"You don't even know what she looks like!"

Harry stopped looking through his clothes; Elaine had him there. How the heck was he supposed to go about looking for a girl without knowing what she looked like? Grabbing the first pair of jeans he could and a loose-fitting blue t-shirt, Harry slammed his trunk shut.

"I don't have to know what she looks like," he reasoned with Elaine as she leaned against his bedpost, "to know how she makes me feel."

Elaine groaned, watching as Harry shot her a smirk. She began fiddling with the ends of her hair as she let Harry explain himself. He droned on about the girl of his dreams – just as he had earlier; meanwhile, Elaine continued to roll her eyes as she tried to ignore the pang of jealousy burning in her chest.

"You have the perfect life," she whispered under her breath. "What more could you possibly want?"

Harry could sense the bitterness in Elaine's voice. What had gotten her so worked up? Whatever it was, Harry did not know. Maybe it was the stress of last year, he told himself. She _did _seem distraught at the recollection of the battle at the Ministry. Then again, there was just something _off_ entirely about Elaine since the mention of his dream girl…

"Excuse me for believing in happy endings," he muttered back to Elaine sadly. "I think I deserve to have _some_ faith in a happy ending!"

Her brown eyes narrowed as Elaine let out a sigh of frustration. "Oh because being the son of the Wizarding World's most famous and best Aurors isn't all that it's cracked up to be, is it? Being the son of _the _Lily and James Potter is no walk in the park at all, huh?"

Something was really off now, Harry told himself. Elaine was practically barking at him and he had no line of defense. Sighing to himself, he looked at Elaine with a sympathetic smile.

"I-I'm sorry…?" he replied, confusion dripped with every syllable of his words. "I guess not…? Elaine… is there… a _reason_ why you came up here?"

Elaine could see that her temperamental state was distressing Harry. She knew that he would never understand why she was acting the way she was, so she really couldn't blame him. Sighing to herself, she shrugged.

"You slept through breakfast," she explained. "Hermione, Ron and I were getting worried."

"You woke me up for that?" Harry shouted.

"Harry James Potter, you hit your head against the floor after a duel with Draco Malfoy!" Elaine screamed back at him. "Granted, you jinxed him before you slipped on your own feet. If you didn't wake up, what the bloody hell am I supposed to tell Lily and James when I get off the Hogwarts Express and they see me without you?"

"Tell them that I jumped into the Black Lake to find the girl of my dreams," he mumbled, "because _you _wouldn't let me see her in my dreams!"

Elaine rolled her eyes and replied, "You act like this bloody dream girl will be the answer to all of your nonexistent problems."

"She very well could be!" Harry said, grabbing Elaine by the shoulders. His green eyes staring back at her as sincere as Elaine had ever seen them. "I know she's out there somewhere; she's gotta be somewhere in the castle!"

"You're going to go gallivanting through the halls of Hogwarts just to find this unknown dream girl of yours, who – might I add – may not even exist?" Elaine remarked. "Harry, that is completely puerile!"

Harry shut his eyes tightly, his hands dropping to his sides. How was he going to phrase the next couple of statements? "Elaine, look… you are the _only_ one that knows that I've been having these dreams," he sighed. "Could you we possibly keep this… between _us_?"

Sitting back on the bed and fidgeting with the clothes he had left on his bed, Harry sighed as Elaine went on to ramble about the girl of his dreams. Slowly, he looked toward the girl standing beside his bed; as stubborn as Elaine was, Harry knew his secret was safe with her.

"Fine!" Elaine caved. "But this is only because you're my _closest_ friend and I love you to death…"

The incongruity of Elaine's smile was enough for Harry to understand that she was going to stay true to her word. He smiled and then looked toward his unfolded heap of clothes.

"Thanks," he said, getting back on his feet and hugging Elaine. As he felt her arms wrap around him, he could feel a smile forming on his face. Releasing Elaine from the embrace, Harry scratched the back of his head. "On a completely _different_ note: Elaine, do you mind if I change?"

Wide-eyed, Elaine asked, "In front of me? Potter, I know I just said you're my closest friend and all, but don't you think that's a little _too _personal? Lily would _kill_ us both!"

"Oh no!" Harry remarked with a laugh. "Maybe I should have been clearer… get out!"

Elaine shook her head as she gently brushed past Harry. "Sure thing, your Royal Pain!"

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE<strong>

**[REWRITTEN]: **_July 18, 2014_**  
>[<span>REPUBLISHED<span>]: **_July 18, 2014_**  
>[<span>LAST UPDATED<span>]: **_July 18, 2014_**  
>[<span>WORD COUNT<span>]: **_1,662 words without a/n, summary, disclaimer and dedications._

**[MV COMMENTS]: **_i apologize for the wait. things have come up since the last time - as they always do. i'm so sorry! what do you think of the new changes (for those of you that have been following the story)? leave a review and lemme know what you think. thanks for reading! ~ xoxo, mv_


	3. Dates and Dreams

**FULL SUMMARY: **Dream after dream, Harry Potter sees a girl that just give him butterflies in his stomach; he is thoroughly convinces that this girl does to Hogwarts with him. His only problem with her? Every time he comes close to seeing the face of this girl, he wakes up from his dreams. So when he tells his best gal pal Elaine Port, she laughs and tries to convince Harry that maybe his so-called "dream girl" really is just in his dreams. Is Elaine right? Or is Harry's dream girl a reality?

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><p>Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger sat in the Great Hall, waiting for their best friends. A good chunk of their time had passed since they first arrived in the dining hall. Hermione was completely finished with her breakfast while Ron was finishing his second plate.<p>

"Where on earth could they be?" Hermione asked Ron. "It's been nearly three hours since Elaine woke up."

Ron shrugged. "She went up to wake Harry when she got to the common room."

Nodding, Hermione glanced at the doors of the Great Hall with a small frown. "I sure hope Harry's okay – especially after what happened last night."

Just then, Elaine burst through the doors of the Great Hall with Harry trailing not too far behind her. To all the watching eyes in the hall, the two Gryffindors seemed to e fighting, which, after about five years of their friendship, was normal or those two now.

"They're fighting again, aren't they?" Ron wondered.

Hermione sighed in confusion. Her gaze did not leave her two friends as they made their way to the Gryffindor table. Usually, if the two of them were fighting, Hermione was the first one to know what was happening. If she could not guess what the fight was about, Elaine would tell her eventually.

"Maybe if we pretend not to notice them, they'll solve the problem themselves!" Hermione explained to her boyfriend.

"I guess?" Ron said uneasily, shoveling a spoonful of food into his mouth.

"Morning, lovebirds!" Elaine greeted with a pleased smiled on her face. "How goes everything?"

"All right…?" Ron wondered more than stated.

Harry approached the Gryffindor table shortly after Elaine did. He took his seat beside Elaine and greeted Hermione and Ron.

"Something the matter, mate?" Harry asked.

"Nothing's wrong," Hermione replied for her boyfriend. "Something the matter with you?"

Elaine and Harry exchanged a confused glance with one another before shaking their heads.

"Not that we know of," Elaine said, piling a mountain of food on her plate. "The day's just begun… sorta; I don't see a reason for there to be a problem. Do you?"

"No, no reason at all… hey! Harry, look who's headed this way," Ron said subtly pointing at Cho Chang, the seventh year Ravenclaw, who was making her way toward Harry. "Looks like someone wants to get chummy with you again."

Side glancing at Harry, Elaine inconspicuously motioned for him to talk to the older girl. She figured that if he wanted to start looking for the girl of his dreams, he would have to start somewhere.

Harry nodded, understanding what his friend meant. Standing from his seat, he looked at Cho with a genuine smile.

"I'll see you later," he said to his friend before making his way to the Ravenclaw.

"Have fun, lover boy!" called out Elaine with a slight laugh. "That boy, I swear…"

Ron and Hermione looked at each other with confusion etched into their faces. They then turned to Elaine with dubious stares – looks that accused Elaine of knowing something that they did not.

"What?" Elaine remarked innocently, watching as Harry and Cho began to walk out of the Great Hall together.

"We just figured that after what happened last night," Ron said slowly, "you would be a little more over protective of Harry. Especially considering the fact that you hate Cho Chang so much…"

Elaine rolled her eyes. "Okay, to be clear, yes, I'm worried about Harry," she sighed, "but what happened last night was his own fault. He tripped over his own two feet. It's not Chang's fault that Harry's a klutz. Besides, if she does hurt him, she's got another thing coming."

"… are you sure everything's okay, Elaine?" Hermione asked. "You're acting pretty weird… I mean you practically gave Harry your blessing to be with Cho Chang!"

"That are the two of you are actually getting along," Ron stated.

Elaine laughed, "Yeah, that _is _odd, isn't it?"

* * *

><p>Week after week passed as Harry continued to go out with numbers of girls at Hogwarts, trying his best to find "the one". He had to find the girl who would stop his dreams of repeating; however, girl after girl, Harry realized the empty feeling inside, a feeling that did not correspond with how he felt in his dreams.<p>

"Harry, what if they really are just dreams?" Elaine tried again for the first time in a month. "Let it go…"

"Elaine, they're not 'just dreams'," Harry said, collapsing on the squishy armchair of the Gryffindor Common Room. "I think my subconscious is trying to tell me something…"

Elaine looked at her best friend; she knew that Harry was back from a date with one of Cho Chang's friends. That was the twentieth girl in the last month! Elaine was beginning to get annoyed with the fact that Harry had turned into a mindless dating machine… and all because he was determined to find "the girl of his dreams".

With a fake smile, Elaine stood from the couch across Harry. He made her way over to him and put her hand comfortingly on his shoulder. Inhaling quickly, Elaine began sweetly, "Harry, dear, I DON'T CARE WHAT YOUR SUBCONSCIOUS IS TRYING TO TELL YOU; YOUR SUBCONSCIOUS IS AN IGNORAMUS!"

Harry pushed Elaine's hand off his shoulder. He glared at her and said, "Elaine, I'm being serious here!"

"So am I, Harry!" Elaine replied, sitting on the armrest of Harry's chair. "I just don't want to see you get hurt because of this dream girl. Understand? You're my best friend… and the last thing I want to be stuck doing is comforting you over some absurd fantasy of yours, got it? That's what Lily is for."

"Oh yeah," Harry responded bitterly at her words, "because you're the _greatest _best friend anyone could have asked for, aren't you, Elaine?"

Elaine sighed, knowing that she had probably come off a little harshly. "I just… I don't want you to hurt yourself in the end. I mean, look at you, you've already dated like _twenty _girls from our year and still… _nothing. _Don't you think that if the girl of your dreams of was real, she'd have shown up by now?"

Harry pondered at Elaine's statement for a moment; she was right.

"You're a bloody genius, you know that?" Harry remarked, jumping from his spot on the armchair. "I've only dated the girl from _our _year! What if the girl of my dreams is from another year?"

"Cho Chang is a year older than us!" Elaine pointed out.

"Maybe she just wasn't the one," Harry said with a smile. "What if the girl of my dreams is from a different year?"

"Yea… what if she's in Slytherin?" Elaine asked. "Harry, I know I said I would support you through al of this, but I think that the chances of you finding her are equivalent to the chances of me going completely bonkers!"

Watching Elaine laughed at her own statement, Harry paused for a moment, allowing the smile on his face to widen. "So… I assume that the chances are most likely?"

"Precisely!" Elaine replied, not paying much attention to the words of Harry's question. "Oh, geez! I crack myself up!"

'Thanks, Elaine!" Harry said before Elaine could utter another word, "I'll see you in the morning, psycho!"

"Wait, Harry! What?" Elaine wondered, finally registering Harry's words. "Harry Potter! I meant that the chances were slim!"

But it was too late; by then, Harry had already bolted up the stairs to the boys' dormitory.

"Just great…" she muttered to herself, now alone in the Gryffindor Common Room. "Now he probably thinks I'm going to grow up to be a psychopath."

* * *

><p><em>Harry sat under a dogwood tree near the Black Lake as the girl of his dreams laced her fingers with his. Slowly, she rested her head on his shoulders with a smile.<em>

"_Harry, how is it that you still haven't found me?" she wondered playfully as Harry rested his head against hers._

"_I don't know!" he sighed in frustration. "Maybe if I could see your face or even get a name, this would be a lot easier! Please? I promise that if I get a clue, I'll find you at the speed of light-."_

_Giggling, the girl shook her head, which was still resting on Harry's shoulder. She gave his hand a light squeeze. "Harry, if I showed you my face, where would the mystery and fun be?"_

"_You think this is _fun_?" Harry asked. "Okay, don't get me wrong; meeting you in my dreams is practically perfect! But having every girl I go out with hate me when I explain that I don't see us having a future together… that isn't exactly my cup of tea. That and having Elaine poke fun at my every move relating to you and your existence is driving me mad!"_

"_Eventually the jokes will cease, Harry. I'm sure she'll even get tired of them, the girl whispered. "One day, she's come to grips with reality and realize that she was wrong all along."_

"_Funny you should say that," Harry said, trying to get a glimpse of her face. "Her coming to grips with reality while I'm here living in a dreamland."_

"_Sometimes, you reach what's real just by making believe, the girl stated._

"_Will I ever get to see your face?" Harry wondered. "I'm dying to know who you are! Please grant me that one request! Just give me a clue about who you might be!"_

_Sighing, she replied, "Anything for you, Harry. Here's the deal: meet me at the Quidditch Pitch tomorrow evening when everyone else is at dinner."_

"_Are you saying that you're actually going to let me know who you are?" wondered Harry excitedly._

_Harry felt her nod. "Anything for you," she said," to stop pestering me about who I really am!"_

* * *

><p><strong>- author's note -<strong>

**[****rewritten****]: **_March 24, 2014  
><em>**[****republished****]: **_March 24, 2014  
><em>**[****last updated****]:**_ March 24, 2014  
><em>**[****word count****]: **_1,639 words without a/n or summary._

**[****mv comments****]:** _thank you for reading this. it's been a really long day of reworking things for the sake of the story's end. don't forget to leave a review._


	4. Thought You'd Be a No-Show

**FULL SUMMARY: **Dream after dream, Harry Potter sees a girl that just give him butterflies in his stomach; he is thoroughly convinces that this girl does to Hogwarts with him. His only problem with her? Every time he comes close to seeing the face of this girl, he wakes up from his dreams. So when he tells his best gal pal Elaine Port, she laughs and tries to convince Harry that maybe his so-called "dream girl" really is just in his dreams. Is Elaine right? Or is Harry's dream girl a reality?

* * *

><p>Hermione and Elaine were sitting in the Muggle Studies section of the library when Ron and Harry approached them, breaking them away from their study session. Ron sat beside Hermione while Harry took the seat beside Elaine.<p>

"Yes, boys?" Elaine questioned sternly, not looking up form her book. "What do you want?"

"It's… dinnertime," Ron reminded. "We just wanted to pick you guys up before heading to the Great Hall…"

Elaine smirked. "Awww… did wittle, ickle Ronniekins miss his pwecious girlfriend?"

Ron glared at Elaine. "No!"

"Or were just hungry?" Hermione asked with a small laugh, packing her notes into her bag.

"Wait… both?" Ron mumbled. "I don't know anymore!"

"Speak up, Mumbles!" Elaine laughed. "None of us caught that."

In a joking way, Ron stood from his seat, grabbed Hermione's wrist quickly and dashed out of the library.

"That Ronald Weasley," Elaine said with another laugh. "Our tactics never get old."

Harry looked at Elaine with uncertainty. Was he supposed to tell her about his last dream? Or was he supposed to keep it to himself? Harry continued to stare at the brunette, debating with himself as to whether he was going to tell Elaine about his dream girl.

"Harry…?" Elaine called for the seventeenth time. "Harry, are you coming with?"

Harry shook his head, snapping out of his daze. He looked at Elaine with a slight smile, trying to figure out what to say. If he told her, she would probably beg to come. On the other hand, if he chose not to tell her, she would probably ask why he was skipping dinner.

"Actually, Elaine," Harry stammered. "I was… ummm, I was… umm…"

"You were what?"

"I was just about to head out to the Quidditch Pitch… to umm…"

"Practice?" Elaine asked as she finished packing her quills and books into her bag. "Well, okay. So long as you're not harassing girl to go out with you just because you want to find 'the one', then all right. Would you like me to help you out there on the field?"

Harry quickly shook his head, knowing that, if Elaine were to go, she was more likely to sabotage the scene with her witty remarks. "Actually, I didn't want to make you miss out on dinner, but-…" But at the same time, Harry wanted to prove Elaine that she was wrong about his dream girl. "-if you can, do you mind dropping by _after _dinner?"

"We'll see what I do," Elaine said with a smirk. "I've got a lot of studying to do for Snape's test and we all know how _marvelously _I do with Defense Against the Dark Arts, no?"

With a short laugh, Harry nodded. He watched as Elaine got up to leave after waving goodbye. Once she was completely out of sight, he raced to the Quidditch Pitch to await the girl of his dreams.

With all the energy he had, Harry dashed to the Quidditch Pitch in time to notice a gaggle of Slytherins at the other end of the field. He groaned to himself thinking that Elaine was right about the girl of his dreams being a Slytherin. Upon noticing the group of Slytherins, Harry also noticed that Draco Malfoy was among them,

Harry rolled his eyes and realized that his dream girl never gave him a specific time frame; she had just told Harry that she would be there while _everyone _was at dinner. He groaned to himself, knowing that he would probably have to wait for Malfoy and his posse to leave.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, back in the Great Hall, Elaine and Ron were still poking fun at each other. Insult after comeback after joke after shared laughter, Elaine looked at Ron and his place, noticing that he had not touch much of the food since they had taken their seats for dinner.<p>

"You're not hungry, Weasley?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest. "I must say that this is simply not like you. Not like you at all. This is very peculiar. Very peculiar indeed…"

"Will the two of you stop it?" Hermione scolded promptly. "I think the both of you should just shut up and start eating; this game between you both is getting rather childish."

"Yes, Hermione," Ron and Elaine said in defeat.

"By the way," asked Hermione, "where is Harry?"

Elaine looked at Hermione and Ron from across the table before shrugging. "He told me he was going to go to the Quidditch Pitch to practice. I dunno… I didn't believe him, but you know I do trust him enough to know that he won't go and do something stupid."

"Like fall over his own two feet?" Ron reminded.

"Or chase after all those girls again?" Hermione suggested.

Elaine looked at Hermione with innocent eyes. "Whatever are you talking about?"

"C'mon, Elaine," Hermione said. "I thought that you, of all people, would have noticed that Harry's been playing the role of a womanizer since last month. He's gone out with what? _Half _of the girls at Hogwarts. Elaine-."

"Hermione, Harry's only gone out with _twenty _girls," Elaine defended. "And they were all from _our _year."

"Oh, like that's any better!" Hermione replied.

"I wouldn't call him a womanizer though!" It's not like he's purposely playing these innocent girls. After all, they _agreed _to go out with him and they agreed to leave things as they were after the dates," Elaine forced herself to justify Harry's current position. "I think he's just trying to find the right girl. Someone he can commit to fully and love unconditionally."

Hermiione sighed as Ron began eating his food. "I just don't want him to make the wrong decision."

"I'm sure none of us do," Ron said.

* * *

><p>Harry stood in the center of the Quidditch Pitch, waiting for his dream girl. Malfoy and the other Slytherins disappeared thirty minutes into dinner and Harry's dream girl was still nowhere in sight. Harry looked up at the now starlit sky before sighing.<p>

After another half hour of waiting, Harry sat down in the middle of the field and lied down slowly, staring at the stars above him.

"Please don't tell me that she's standing me up," Harry prayed.

"Who stood you up?" a familiar voice came from behind him.

Harry shot up instantly, knowing that feeling in the pit of his stomach all too well. There was only one girl that he knew that could do this to him – especially with just the sound of her voice. He turned to face the girl, scanning her facial features. Quickly he put on a smile.

"No one," he replied. "Why do you ask?"

Elaine frowned, sitting down beside Harry. "I dunno. You sounded really unhappy. Then you heard me and now it sounds like you wanted to make a run for it."

That was only somewhat true; Harry did want to make a run for it when he heard his best friend's voice. After all, she was the only person he came to know that could make him feel scared for his life while making him feel safe and content with his surroundings.

"Not entirely true," laughed Harry, standing up. "I was just… I don't know."

"I thought you were going to be practicing," Elaine pointed out.

"And I thought you weren't going to sow up!"

"I didn't say that," Elaine chirped. "I just said that we'd see what happens."

"Well, I thought you were busy," Harry stated. "I know how bust you get and I just thought you'd be a no-show."

"Now why would I want to put your through that torture?" Elaine joked. "Besides, it was getting dark and you still haven't eaten. As your best friend, I command you to eat dinner! … or maybe a snack from the kitchen or something."

"Good old Elaine," Harry said. "Always making sure I'm taken care of."

"Exactly, but back to what I was saying before, Potter: don't you need a broomstick to practice Quidditch?"

* * *

><p><strong>- author's note -<strong>

**[****rewritten****]: **_March 24, 2014  
><em>**[****republished****]: **_March 25, 2014  
><em>**[****last updated****]:**_ March 25, 2014  
><em>**[****word count****]: **_1,328 words without a/n or summary._

**[****mv comments****]:** _thanks for reading! hope you like the update. please leave a review to let me know what you think. ~ xoxo, may._


	5. Chapter 5

**FULL SUMMARY: **Dream after dream, Harry Potter sees a girl that just give him butterflies in his stomach; he is thoroughly convinces that this girl does to Hogwarts with him. His only problem with her? Every time he comes close to seeing the face of this girl, he wakes up from his dreams. So when he tells his best gal pal Elaine Port, she laughs and tries to convince Harry that maybe his so-called "dream girl" really is just in his dreams. Is Elaine right? Or is Harry's dream girl a reality?

* * *

><p><strong>DISCLAIMER:<strong> Though I find this completely unnecessary, I feel somewhat obligated to state that the Harry Potter franchise does not belong to me. Also, as you read the story, keep in mind that this is simply a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either products of their rightful owner's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

* * *

><p><strong>STORY DEDICATION:<strong> To swiftscout – the girl who used to mock my obsession for Harry Potter until she read the books cover to cover – this one's for you.

* * *

><p><span>Chapter Five – Don't Let Them See You Cry<span>

It was nearing wintertime at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Elaine was curled up by the fireplace as she read her favorite book from the Muggle World, _Through the Looking Glass_. She sighed as she looked out the window nearest her; it was past curfew and Harry was still out on his date with Ginny Weasley.

Elaine rolled her eyes at the though of her best friend going out with Ron Weasley's baby sister. She bore no ill will toward the red-haired fifth year, but Elaine could not help but to think back to something Harry had said when he first mentioned the girl of his dreams to her.

"_She's like a little sister to me… just like you. You know I don't date family."_

Grumbling to herself in the not-so-empty Gryffindor Common Room, Elaine looked over toward Hermione and Ron. She sighed once more as Hermione and Ron cuddled in the corner near the fireplace. Shielding her eyes behind her long, dark hair, Elaine thought about all of Harry's dates before Ginny; he never stayed out this late and he certainly never dared risking detention for those small dates.

"Hermione," Elaine asked, standing from the armchair, "do you have any idea where Harry would be now?"

Hermione pulled away from her boyfriend and looked toward her friend. She shook herself with a sigh; Hermione knew all too well what Elaine was feeling and she knew that there was no way to stop the ever-growing pain Elaine was starting to feel.

"Room of Requirements is my best bet," Hermione replied with a faint frown. "I really don't know though, Elaine. I do wish I could tell you otherwise and I do hope Harry comes back soon; it's well past curfew."

Elaine blinked before smiling at Ron. "I honestly don't know what time Harry might be back, but Ron, do you think you could give him a message for me?"

Ron looked at Elaine and shrugged. "I think that'll depend on the message itself."

Elaine smirked, crossing her arms across her chest. "Just let Wonder Boy know that-."

"Let me know what?" Harry's voice rattled through Elaine's ears.

Elaine whipped around to see that Harry was now in the Gryffindor Common Room with his arm around Ginny's waist. At the sight of this, Elaine looked carefully between Ginny, Harry, Ron and Hermione; everyone was perfectly paired up with someone and once again, she was alone.

She locked eyes with Harry long enough to come up with a lie. "I was just going to tell Ron to tell you… that I hope you had a great date with Ginny."

Ginny's eyes lit up as a grin formed on her face. "Thank you, El! Harry, I'm going to head up to bed now."

With that, Ginny planted a soft kiss on Harry's left cheek. She turned to hug her older brother and Hermione. As Ginny retreated back to the fifth year girls' dorm, Harry began to turn a brilliant shade of scarlet. Elaine noticed this change in Harry's face and immediately grabbed his wrist, dragging him up the stairs to his dorm.

"Woah, Elaine!" Harry remarked, trying to escape Elaine's death grip. "What's got your wand in a knot?"

Elaine did not reply to Harry's question. She stormed into the boys' dormitory, not minding that Seamus, Neville and Dean were having a simple chat with one another. The three boys looked at Elaine with a look of confusion; it was common for them to see her act temperamental toward Harry Potter, but now and then, they would dread her moody ways.

"Hey…" Seamus greeted steadily. "How goes everything, Elaine?"

"_OUT!_" Elaine snarled loudly. "Longbottom, Thomas, Finnegan! Leave! NOW!"

Without hesitation, the trio of boys raced out of their own dormitory, knowing that the last person to upset Elaine Port ended up in the Hospital Wing. Harry glared at her as the other dashed out the dorm; he still did not know the reason for her random burst of rage.

"Elaine, what is your bloody problem?" Harry wondered, still trying to escape from her hold.

Elaine, once again, did not bother to respond. She roughly tossed Harry aside on his bed and began her rant.

"Harry James Potter, what the bloody hell where you thinking? Do you know how late it is?"

"Elaine, look… please let me explain!"

"Oh," Elaine shouted, "let me guess: you and Ginny were enjoying yourselves so much that you completely let time escape you."

"Well… yeah…"

"Oh! Come off it, Potter! You cannot honestly tell me that you think that Ginevra Molly Weasley is that loon that runs through your dreams!"

Harry shot up from his bed and began to inch toward Elaine with fire burning in his eyes. "Elaine!" he shouted. "What is your problem? Ever since I told you about my dreams, you have done nothing but insult me, taking every crack you can at me when I go on these dates!"

Elaine was taken slightly aback by how Harry reacted to her. It was common for her to see his fits of rage from time to time, but they were never directed toward her. Even during their fifth year when Harry hit a weird stage, causing him to last out at his best friends, Elaine never experienced the wrath of Harry Potter.

Harry was now inching toward her and she was backing away with every step he took toward her. Soon enough, she cowered in fear and collapsed on Ron's bed. Elaine noticed there was a twinkle in Harry's eyes that had not been there for a while; maybe he really had found the girl of his dream in Ginny…

"Ugh!" Elaine grunted, coming back to her senses. "What the hell, Potter? Don't you see! This 'dream girl' of yours has you running around the halls of Hogwarts like some womanizer! If she really wanted to be with you, don't you think she would have revealed herself to you by now!"

Harry and Elaine were now facing each other. Each had their hands curled up into fists and both were fuming with anger.

"She said that she wanted to keep things mysterious!"

"You act like this stupid girl is real! And yet, you don't even know her name, Harry! What the heck is wrong with you?"

"My subconscious-."

"How many times do I have to tell you that your subconscious is a numbskull!" Elaine laughed harshly. "It is most definitely not trying to tell you anything!"

"Why are you so… so… emotional about this girl, Elaine?" Harry asked, for lack of a better word.

"Emotional? I think it is you who is emotional about this girl, Potter! I have never in all my years of knowing you, ever seen you chase after a girl you didn't even know!"

"For just this once, do you think you could just shut up, let me go my merry way and do what I please?"

Elaine almost gave up. "Harry, I just want to make sure that you're all right; I don't want to see you get hurt if and when this girl turns out to be fake! You're my best friend! The last thing I want to do is see you get hurt!"

"Some best friend!" Harry scoffed. "If you were really any good at being a best friend, you would have supported me, no matter how crazy the idea was. If you really my best friend, you'd understand the problems that I'm dealing with in trying to find her! If you were really my best friend, you wouldn't always yell at me when something doesn't go your bloody way! You're not a damn princess, okay? If you were really-."

"If I were really any good at being a friend," Elaine exhaled, finally giving up, "you wouldn't have so much to complain about, right? Harry, I'm sorry I'm not the girl that you want me to be, but I used to think you were better than that and had a big enough heart to look past my outer shell…"

Harry instantly knew where Elaine's speech was going. Her attitude had changed in a moment and from what Harry understood: Elaine was tearing up. He did not know if it was a trick of the room's light or if she was really going to cry. After all, in the time that he had known her, Elaine never cried. She was always the stronger one.

"Elaine, please don't-."

"I actually thought that you were better than that, Harry," Elaine repeated, softly. "I'm sorry that I'm not the girl that you want me to be."

Elaine slowly dragged herself out of the boys' dormitory. Harry grumbled to himself as she left, not wanting to cause a scene in the Gryffindor Common Room by following her. He collapsed face-first on his bed. In frustration, he shouted into his pillow.

To his knowledge, Elaine never cried. When her grandmother passed away during their first year, Elaine did not shed a single tear at the break of the news or at the funeral. When her mother was diagnosed with cancer in their third year, she showed no sign of anger or frustration or depression. When Death Eaters killed her father last year during the battle at the Ministry, Elaine did not cry. No matter what problem Elaine seemed to face, Harry noticed that she never cried or used it as a handicap. And yet, Elaine Port had just fled his dorm, crying over a little quarrel they just had.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>This chapter of the story was rewritten and republished on_ October 28, 2013_.

So… it's only like six forty where I live and I know I already updated the last chapter of this during my morning break, but I thought I would give you guys this because of the break from the weekend. So I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter of the story! I always want to say thank you for reading it. By the looks of it, Harry and Ginny are together now; hopefully that answers your questions – if you had any. If it doesn't I hope it raises more. Reviews are love, duckies! Thank you again! See you in the next update, dears.

- May


	6. Chapter 6

**FULL SUMMARY: **Dream after dream, Harry Potter sees a girl that just give him butterflies in his stomach; he is thoroughly convinces that this girl does to Hogwarts with him. His only problem with her? Every time he comes close to seeing the face of this girl, he wakes up from his dreams. So when he tells his best gal pal Elaine Port, she laughs and tries to convince Harry that maybe his so-called "dream girl" really is just in his dreams. Is Elaine right? Or is Harry's dream girl a reality?

* * *

><p><strong>DISCLAIMER:<strong> Though I find this completely unnecessary, I feel somewhat obligated to state that the Harry Potter franchise does not belong to me. Also, as you read the story, keep in mind that this is simply a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either products of their rightful owner's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

* * *

><p><strong>STORY DEDICATION:<strong> To swiftscout – the girl who used to mock my obsession for Harry Potter until she read the books cover to cover – this one's for you.

* * *

><p><span>Chapter Six – Finding the Girl<span>

Harry sat in his dormitory with a pained expression on his face; he and Elaine had just finished fighting and she actually left the room in tears. Granted, the tears were not pouring down her face, but he noticed a glistening sparkle in her eyes he had never seen. He put his hands to his temples, rubbing them gently as his roommates conversed among themselves.

After a few minutes of thinking to himself, Harry flopped over in his bed. It was not like he would be making conversation any time soon, not with the Gryffindors at least. Most of them already knew that when he and Elaine fought, there was some logical reason behind it… most of the time at least. The only other few times Elaine and Harry fought were because of minor, stupid things that Harry could never pinpoint; he figured this was one of those fights… but if that was the case, why did Elaine leave the room in such a state?

That night Harry went to sleep slightly agitated with how his friendship status with Elaine was. He drifted off into a dreamless slumber. For the first night in a long time, he did not have a dream about the mysterious girl who ran through his subconscious mind. The raven-haired boy awoke the next morning with utter confusion and slight disappointment; if he stopped having dreams, did this mean he had finally found the girl of his dreams?

* * *

><p>"Good morning, love," Ginny greeted as Harry walked down to the Gryffindor Common Room. "How did you sleep last night?"<p>

Harry mustered up the best smile he could for Ginny; she obviously did not hear about the fight he and Elaine had the night before. "Just great!" he lied. "And you?"

Ginny kissed Harry lightly on the cheek as Hermione and Elaine entered the Common Room. "I slept perfectly; actually, I had a dream about you."

Harry's eyes snapped up from the floor to Ginny. She had a dream about his last night?

"That's sweet," he muttered. "I actually had a dreamless sleep last night…"

Elaine's head turned slightly away from Hermione as she reached the untouched fireplace. Harry may have mumbled his last statement, but she heard him. For the past few months, from what Elaine remembered, Harry dreamt about his dream girl every night. One date with Ginny Weasley and Harry ended up with a dreamless sleep; something was up. Elaine sighed sadly to herself, inputting in her mind the bad news that swelled her very thoughts: Harry Potter found his dream girl in Ron Weasley's little sister.

"Is… that a good thing?" Ginny questioned with a giggle.

With a shrug, Harry wrapped his arm around Ginny's waist, like he did the night before. "I dunno, but I'm starting to think that it is."

Shutting her eyes for a moment, Elaine looked toward Hermione with a crooked smile.

"Everything okay, Elaine?" Hermione asked, sitting down on the loveseat.

"Hmm…?" Elaine turned her head away from Hermione to look at the fireplace. "Yeah… everything's just fine."

* * *

><p>Breakfast that day for Harry, Hermione, Ron and Elaine was more than awkward. With Elaine and Harry not making any type of formal contact with each other, conversing happily was not an option, nor was Elaine and Ron's daily duel of comebacks. To make matter even worse for the gang, Ginny had decided to tag along with Harry.<p>

"So you wish it, so it shall be…" Ginny whispered in Harry's ear, commenting on his last request.

Harry's emerald eyes shot up from his breakfast. Ginny had just recited the words of his infamous dream girl; she was unintentionally quoting her. Harry's eyes lit up as Ron, Hermione and Elaine stared at him curiously.

"That's funny," Harry commented. "That sounds like something the girl of my dreams would say."

Only Elaine, as Harry assumed, would understand that comment. She inhaled sharply before blinking. Swallowing her food, she eyed Harry indifferently before looking at her suddenly unappealing bowl of cereal.

"Oh, Harry… you're so… cheesy!" Ginny chirped with a laugh.

Harry's smile grew at Ginny's words; she really _was _the girl of his dreams. It was all so perfect; she was quoting his dream girl word for word. "I'll be anything you want me to be," he replied.

"Gag me with a bloody spoon!" Elaine mumbled, standing up and storming out of the Great Hall.

"What did she say?" Ginny wondered, looking at Hermione, Ron and then Harry again.

Harry shrugged, attempting to ignore Elaine's feelings. To him, her feelings did not matter at the moment; he had just found the girl of his dream… at this point, nothing else mattered.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>This chapter of the story was rewritten and republished on _October 28, 2013._

Three updates in one day? I'm on a roll right now! Yay! Actually, it's because I don't have to study for my chemistry midterm anymore. I do, however, have to finish typing out my formal lab. I just don't know how to do that… so I'll start that on Wednesday, October 30, 2013. By then I might be a little delayed with these updates. I really am trying… please be patient with me, guys! I'm looking for the outline of this story. I think I left it at my mom's house. I'm going to my parent's house this weekend so when I do that, I'll continue the story as soon as my updates are done.

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Feel free to leave a review to let me know how I'm doing, too! I would really appreciate that, guys! Much love.

- May


	7. Chapter 7

**FULL SUMMARY: **Dream after dream, Harry Potter sees a girl that just give him butterflies in his stomach; he is thoroughly convinces that this girl does to Hogwarts with him. His only problem with her? Every time he comes close to seeing the face of this girl, he wakes up from his dreams. So when he tells his best gal pal Elaine Port, she laughs and tries to convince Harry that maybe his so-called "dream girl" really is just in his dreams. Is Elaine right? Or is Harry's dream girl a reality?

* * *

><p><strong>DISCLAIMER:<strong> Though I find this completely unnecessary, I feel somewhat obligated to state that the Harry Potter franchise does not belong to me. Also, as you read the story, keep in mind that this is simply a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either products of their rightful owner's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

* * *

><p><strong>STORY DEDICATION:<strong> To swiftscout – the girl who used to mock my obsession for Harry Potter until she read the books cover to cover – this one's for you.

* * *

><p><span>Chapter Seven –Not So Silent Treatment<span>

Sleep deprived and more irritated than usual, Elaine rubbed her bloodshot eyes as she continued to read through the Defense Against the Dark Arts book that sat on her lap. Under normal circumstances, she would be with Hermione studying in the library; however, with the Christmas holiday rolling in, much of Gryffindor House was with their families. Elaine sighed as she looked at the dark text of the thick book. She still had to complete the latest essay for the class.

It had only been about a month since Harry and Elaine had spoken to each other. The last time they talked was the night of Harry's date with Ginny Weasley. Though it killed her inside, Elaine hated to admit that Harry might actually have been right about his dream girl. With the way he had acted and the way his dreams randomly stopped reoccurring, she was convinced that Harry had actually found "the one". And even though she wanted to ask Harry if he really believe that Ginny was the dream girl, she would never dare to ask because of their lack of communication… and asking meant she believed.

Much to her dismay, however, Harry had decided to decline the Weasley's offer of spending the holidays with them. Now Elaine was stuck at Hogwarts, though not entirely alone, with Harry Potter. A full twenty-four hours had not even passed since the other students departed for the holidays and Elaine already felt like she was going insane.

She had not slept soundly for weeks; her mind had run all over the place since she and Harry fought. Now that the two of them were not even talking to each other, with who would the Boy Who Lived shared his secrets? Especially the secrets about the girl of his subconscious mind… With the way Harry had acted, Elaine believed that the dreams had finally come to their end; she completely believe that he had found his dream girl in Ginny Weasley.

"You really should get some sleep," Harry said gently as he took the seat in front of Elaine.

Elaine's eyes shot up from her book and glared at Harry; they had not spoken to each other for more than a month and he chose their first words to be about sleep…? Without so much as a word, Elaine sighed and shook her head, continuing to study.

"Look, I know that you're still not going to bother talking to me," Harry said, "but I'm not gonna act like I don't care when I really do; you're still my best friend."

"Oh really?" hissed Elaine, slamming the textbook shut. "Because if I remember correctly, I could be a hell of a lot better!"

Harry shut his eyes briefly, inhaling sharply. "I could be better too… I'm _sorry_."

Elaine nodded curtly as she kept her eyes locked on the printed words of the book cover; she did not want to make any more eye contact than necessary with the boy who sat across from her. She sighed once more before Harry continued.

"I miss talking to you, Elaine," Harry admitted. "Can't we just leave the past behind us?"

Elaine still did not respond to Harry as he asked for forgiveness. Quickly, she stood from her seat on the couch and turned to face Harry. 'Why in the bloody hell should we just put this all behind us, Potter? You're so much happier with Ginerva-."

"It's Ginevra," Harry corrected.

"Quite frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn," Elaine sneered. "You're happy and that is all that matters."

"But Elaine!" Harry shouted as she raced over the staircase.

"What? Huh? You already found your dream girl in Ginny, right? What's the point in even talking to me? That's all we really ever talked about for the majority of the year! Just live your life happily with the girl of your bloody dreams; you stopped having those dreams when the two of your started going out, right? Let's keep it that way!"

Harry hung his head in defeat; what was he supposed to say to that? His dreams had stopped after his first date with Ginny. There was no way he could counterattack the truth Elaine revealed with a lie; it just could not be done. He sighed and let his shoulders drop. "Elaine, I miss talking to you…"

"No, you don't. You're just lonely without Hermione, Ron and Ginny here. Why don't you go make best friends with Neville or Seamus or Dean or something? You certainly don't need me in your life."

"Elaine, please!"

"It's only the truth, Harry," Elaine sighed with a shrug. "You're got the girl of your dreams; you don't need _me _anymore."

Harry looked up toward Elaine, not knowing what to say; sure, his dreams had stopped and yes, he was pretty sure that the girl in his dreams what Ginny Weasley, but that did not mean he was done with Elaine.

Elaine shook her head again. "Good night, Harry Potter."

Harry mentally smacked himself in the head for allowing five minutes to go by between the two of them without a single exchange. He knew that Elaine thought his silence meant she was right.

"Elaine, wait!"

But it was too late; Elaine had raced up the stairs to her own dorm.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>This chapter of the story was rewritten and republished on _October 30, 2013_.

Like I said the last time I posted this story: had I realized that this story would be so popular with you all, I would have created more of a storyline. I honestly just threw this together one all nighter after drinking three bottles of Ramuné and listening to my iTunes library. I'm not sure my mind is as creative as it used to be when I wrote this six years ago!

Anyways, I'm doing everything in my power to finish editing the chapters of this story so that I may move on with it… but my finals are coming up in a couple of weeks – yeah, I know _weeks_… but I don't want to mess up like I did in high school. So… I'll do my best to update, mmk?

Thank you for reading! Please review! I actually update stories based on the reviews. Feel free to check out my other stories as well! Thanks again, loves! I appreciate every single one of you.

- May


	8. Chapter 8

**FULL SUMMARY: **Dream after dream, Harry Potter sees a girl that just give him butterflies in his stomach; he is thoroughly convinces that this girl does to Hogwarts with him. His only problem with her? Every time he comes close to seeing the face of this girl, he wakes up from his dreams. So when he tells his best gal pal Elaine Port, she laughs and tries to convince Harry that maybe his so-called "dream girl" really is just in his dreams. Is Elaine right? Or is Harry's dream girl a reality?

* * *

><p><strong>DISCLAIMER:<strong> Though I find this completely unnecessary, I feel somewhat obligated to state that the Harry Potter franchise does not belong to me. Also, as you read the story, keep in mind that this is simply a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either products of their rightful owner's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

* * *

><p><strong>STORY DEDICATION:<strong> To swiftscout – the girl who used to mock my obsession for Harry Potter until she read the books cover to cover – this one's for you.

* * *

><p><span>Chapter Eight – What You Already Know<span>

Harry slowly dragged himself up to his dormitory; he was still saddened by his first encounter with Elaine in week. Carelessly, he swung the door of the sixth year boys' dormitory open, walked over to his bed and flopped on the bed.

"What's the matter there, Potter?" Seamus wondered, turning to face the Boy Who Lived. "You look terrible."

Harry lifted his head slowly from his pillow, turning to face Seamus. Rolling his eyes at his roommate's comment, Harry laughed faintly, "Really? I thought I looked rather gorgeous."

"Days too much to handle now that your girl's gone home?" Seamus wondered with a laugh.

Neville and Dean joined Seamus in his fit of laughter. Harry, however, glared at his fellow Gryffindors, not knowing what to say; what was he _supposed_ to say? He knew that he could not tell anyone about his dream girl and he certainly refused to tell them that she was the reason he and Elaine were not speaking with each other. Harry knew he could never tell Dean, Neville and Seamus that his days, with or without Ginny, were too much to handle because he and Elaine were not talking.

"You could say that," Harry responded shortly, burying his head into his pillow again.

"Mate, you've been acting this way even before Ginny left for the holidays," Dean noted.

Harry groaned into his pillow; if Ginny's ex boyfriend noticed Harry's change in attitude, then the rest of the Gryffindor House would undoubtedly have noticed too.

"Yeah," Neville added. "You have been like this for weeks."

The raven-haired boy shot up from his position on the bed; was he really a noticeable wreck to the rest of the school? If he was, Ginny and Hermione would have badgered him with their typical questions like, "Are you okay?" or "What's the matter?". Harry could not have been that noticeable, especially since none of his other friends had said anything else about it.

Dean laughed at the signs of panic in Harry's body language. "It's not _that_ noticeable," he assured. "I mean, the three of us practically live with you up in this dorm… so we kinda just saw through your fake happiness."

"Only problem is that we don't know what's botherin' you," Seamus stated. "You can tell us that nothing's changed, but we all know that would be a lie…"

"Is it Elaine?" Neville said suddenly.

"Yeah…" Seamus added. "The two of you both seem to be in horrible moods lately; Elaine's just more noticeable than you are."

"Mate, she is _always _like that!" Dean remarked, causing Harry to smile a little. "One wrong move and she'll toss you in the Black Lake herself, having you beg for forgiveness and mercy."

* * *

><p><em>Harry sat by the Black Lake, under the dogwood tree where he and Elaine would usually sit during their free periods. His mind was a jumbled mess without his best friend; even with Hermione and Ron still in his life, as grateful as Harry was, it just was not the same. Elaine was the period he could just <em>talk _with when he needed someone to listen._

"_What's the mater, love?" a familiar voice asked, snuggling closer to Harry._

_But unlike the other dreams, Harry shrugged off his dream girl, thinking only about his best friend, Elaine Port._

_Moments passed before Harry decided to talk. "Where have you been?" he wondered. "It's been a long while since you've popped up. I was actually starting to think that I'd found you already."_

_Harry listened as the girl of his dreams let out the melodic laugh that he loved so much. "Well, you have found me, Harry. It's just a matter of keeping me. I've missed visiting you like this, by the way."_

"_Why have you stopped visiting me this way?" Harry wondered._

"_You see me _every _day, Harry," she chimed. "I just thought tonight would be a great time to visit, considering you seem to need me right now."_

"… _Elaine and I haven't spoken since Ginny and I started dating, you know," Harry blurted out. "I found you already… I don't understand why you're showing up now that Ginny's off at the Burrow."_

"_Think carefully, Harry," the girl sighed. "There's a reason why I came back…"_

"_I know…" he replied, staring out at the lake._

"_Then, doesn't that tell you something?"_

Harry stop up from his sleep as the morning sun poured into the boys' dormitory that day. With a smile on his face, he looked at the empty beds surrounding him. It was apparent to Harry that the other boys had gone down for breakfast or just to lounge in the Common Room.

"Dream Girl," Harry whispered to himself. "It tells me what I already knew."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong> This chapter of the story was rewritten and republished on _November 7, 2013_.

Oh my gosh, I am so sorry that it's taken so long for me to edit this chapter. Life's just been all over the place. So much for thinking I had it easy. Well, I did, but then I started an accessory business with swiftscout and that took a brutal toll on my schedule. Now I'm good though. Actually, I'm on a train to visit my boyfriend so he and I can go home for the long weekend.

I promise I'll get to writing the newest chapter of this story. Not the reedits, like the legit story. Like I'll actually add a chapter. Because… it's been _years _since I've add to this story and I want to apologize for that again. I will honestly never stop apologizing until I complete the story.

Oh wow, so like I said, I'm in a train and we're currently chugging along Vulcan Street/Road… I didn't actually see the ending, I only saw "Vulcan". I just think that was super cool. Anyways, thank you for reading! Please, please, please review, otherwise, I'll think you guys hate the story and I won't update it. Feel free to check out my other stories as well. Thanks again, guys! I appreciate it.

- May


	9. Chapter 9

**FULL SUMMARY: **Dream after dream, Harry Potter sees a girl that just give him butterflies in his stomach; he is thoroughly convinces that this girl does to Hogwarts with him. His only problem with her? Every time he comes close to seeing the face of this girl, he wakes up from his dreams. So when he tells his best gal pal Elaine Port, she laughs and tries to convince Harry that maybe his so-called "dream girl" really is just in his dreams. Is Elaine right? Or is Harry's dream girl a reality?

* * *

><p><strong>DISCLAIMER:<strong> Though I find this completely unnecessary, I feel somewhat obligated to state that the Harry Potter franchise does not belong to me. Also, as you read the story, keep in mind that this is simply a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either products of their rightful owner's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

* * *

><p><strong>STORY DEDICATION:<strong> To swiftscout – the girl who used to mock my obsession for Harry Potter until she read the books cover to cover – this one's for you.

* * *

><p><span>Chapter Nine – Dream a Little Dream of Me<span>

Harry jumped out of his bed, quickly readied himself for the day and raced down to the Gryffindor Common Room, where he figured the rest of his fellow housemates would still be. Once he reached the bottom step of the staircase, he noticed that Elaine was just on the other side of the Common Room, sitting among the sixth year girls with whom she shared her dormitory. Elaine was holing two knitting needles as she carefully knitted stitch after stitch.

Slowly, Harry looked to the ground and sighed to himself. It was now or never; he could either tell Elaine what he was so excited to tell her right then and there _or _the Boy Wonder could let it slide and just hide away all emotion until Ron, Ginny and Hermione returned from their holiday vacation. The raven-haired boy shook his head as he made his across the room. He had yet to make eye contact with anyone in the Common Room.

_What the hell was he going to say to her_? Harry thought to himself. Then again, what was he _supposed_ to say to her? It was not like he was going to blatantly confess about his dream girl, right? He could not do that; otherwise, anyone who overheard the conversation might question him afterwards. Harry could not just pull Elaine away from her new clique… or her knitting, for that matter. It was either he make a decision to tell her about his latest dream and what he learned from it or-.

"G'morning, Harry!" a voice called to Harry.

Harry was on his way to Elaine and the group of girls when Colin Creevey approached him. "Hey, Colin…" Harry greeted back, turning away from Elaine as quickly as possible.

"Where are you headed?"

"Oh," Harry quickly thought of something to say. "I was just headed to the confess my true feelings to the _girl of my dreams_…"

Harry put more emphasis on the last four words of his statement, hoping to catch Elaine's attention. Mission accomplished; Elaine's head shot up from her knitting at the mention of Harry's dream girl. Her eyes narrowed slightly before looking at her work.

"How cute is that!" one of the girls surrounding Elaine squealed. "Harry's referring to Ginny as the girl of his dreams! Isn't that the sweetest thing ever, Elaine?"

Elaine rolled her eyes at the comment. It was then why she hated hanging out with girls; most of them were gushy romantics too absorbed in the gossip of the world to even focus on their own lives.

"Do not make me use these," Elaine snarled viciously, thrusting her knitting needles near the girl's face. "Do you want me to puncture your eyeballs?"

The girl gulped before replying. "Elaine, I was just saying… Harry seems to be really happy with Ginny-."

Not wanting to hear another word from her roommate's mouth, Elaine shot up from the couch and stormed out of the Gryffindor Common Room.

"Oi!" Elaine shouted, spotting Harry as he slowly walked down one of the staircases. "Where the bloody hell do you get off mentioning your dream girl in public, huh, boy? Some people might think you've gone mad."

Harry whirled around to face Elaine with a slight smile; though she was furious, at least they were talking again. "Elaine, me? Mad? Oh please, _no one_ could possibly think that I, Harry Potter, am mad."

"Well, I sure do!" Elaine hissed, inching toward Harry with a deadly look in her brown eyes. "You suddenly believe that you've found the loon that runs through the inner depths of your mind, do you? You've got to be bloody insane for even believing in her existence if you ask me."

"Then it's a good thing I _wasn't_ asking you, right?" Harry replied, crossing his arms in front of his chest and making his way toward Elaine. Once they were face to face, Harry "But if I must tell you, Elaine… I had a dream last night and I came to the realization that my dream girl has always been there… right in front of me."

Elaine took a step back, examining the look in Harry's eyes. She could tell from his eyes that he was serious about the girl of his late night dreams. Elaine watched as her best friend slowly inched toward her once more.

"H-has she r-really? Elaine stuttered, stepping back further as she tried to escape Harry's love stare.

"_Always_," Harry stated. "From second year on, I honestly owe her for a lot actually."

Elaine smiled faintly as she let Harry's word sink into the back of her mind. She and Harry had been best friends since the end of their first year. That _technically _counted as their second year, right? She shook her head; she did not care at that point. Her best friend was admitting to her that _she _was the girl of his dreams.

"Go on…" Elaine purred, leaning against the wall.

"Oh? What?" Harry teased. "You don't think I'm a loon anymore?"

Elaine shrugged. "I dunno, Potter. You're gonna have to go on to find out."

"Elaine, all I want to say is that I'm sorry," Harry said. "I've been avoiding you since Ginny and I started going out and… I'm really sorry. I've missed you."

"I've missed you, too, Harry…" she whispered as Harry wrapped his arms around her. "But… you said you realized all this last night in your dreams?"

"Yeah, after our talk," Harry replied, still embracing Elaine. "I _do _need you in my life, okay? Even _with _my dream girl around."

Elaine pushed Harry away from her. "Wait, what? What the bloody hell do you mean 'even _with_ your dream girl'?"

Harry glanced down at Elaine curiously. "I meant exactly what I said: I still need you in my life with Ginny there, Elaine. What else did you think I meant?"

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> This chapter of the story was rewritten _November 7, 2013 _and republished on _November 8, 2013_

I'm still on the train to my boyfriend's place. Actually, his city is the next stop. So I'll put writing on hold until we get to his apartment. LOL, I can actually write at his place because he'll be too busy study for his midterms to even pay attention to the movie we're supposed to watch tonight. Oh welp! At least, I get to write – unless he makes me do my homework too…

Thanks for reading! Please leave a review and feel free to check out my other stories. I'd really appreciate it, guys! Thanks again.

- May


	10. Chapter 10

**FULL SUMMARY: **Dream after dream, Harry Potter sees a girl that just give him butterflies in his stomach; he is thoroughly convinces that this girl does to Hogwarts with him. His only problem with her? Every time he comes close to seeing the face of this girl, he wakes up from his dreams. So when he tells his best gal pal Elaine Port, she laughs and tries to convince Harry that maybe his so-called "dream girl" really is just in his dreams. Is Elaine right? Or is Harry's dream girl a reality?

* * *

><p><strong>DISCLAIMER:<strong> Though I find this completely unnecessary, I feel somewhat obligated to state that the Harry Potter franchise does not belong to me. Also, as you read the story, keep in mind that this is simply a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either products of their rightful owner's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

* * *

><p><strong>STORY DEDICATION:<strong> To swiftscout – the girl who used to mock my obsession for Harry Potter until she read the books cover to cover – this one's for you.

* * *

><p><span>Chapter Ten – Harry's Dream Girl<span>

Elaine shut her eyes and shook her head as she stood her ground; so Harry was talking about Ginny, not her?

"Well, I thought you meant-."

Elaine stopped herself before finishing her statement. She knew she could not tell Harry what she thought without risking the admittance of her true feelings for him.

"Nothing, Harry. I must've been daydreaming while you were talking…"

Harry eyed Elaine curiously. "All right then…"

"So… Ginny Weasley," Elaine blurted out casually, "Ron's little sister… she's the girl of your dreams?"

Harry nodded excitedly. "It all makes _perfect _sense though, Elaine!"

Elaine watched Harry's eyes light up at the mention of Ginny. Maybe he really was in love with her. Maybe she really was the girl of Harry's dreams. So who was Elaine to come between that? Harry James Potter, the Boy Who Lived and (more importantly) her best friend, _deserved _more than just happiness; he deserved a chance at love.

"How exactly do it make _any_ sense?" Elaine wondered, trying to control her emotions.

Harry shrugged, sensing Elaine's slight anger. He thought about what he had done this time that was making her so furious. "My dreams. They stopped reoccurring the night Ginny and I got together."

"I don't see how that makes sense-."

"And last night, my first night away from her," Harry went on, "my dreams started happening again."

Elaine stood in shock at Harry's explanation; it seemed legitimate, but she refused to believe that Ginny Weasley was Harry Potter's dream girl. Elaine was never wrong – or so she liked to have everyone believe – and she _knew _in her heart that Harry was wrong about Ginny, but how was Elaine supposed to tell him that without losing him?

"I wanted to tell you the moment I found out," Harry said, "which is why I rushed to the Common Room after I got dressed. But I saw that you were with your friends and that you were knitting and I know that pulling you away from either is dangerous."

Elaine sighed, trying not to let Harry's explanation get to her mind. How could Ginny Weasley, Ron's irritatingly perfect baby sister be the girl of Harry's dreams?

"Harry, it's not that I don't believe you. It's just-."

"Oh, not this again!" Harry groaned. "Elaine, you were against it the last time because you thought I was a psychopath. Why are you against it now? I've proven to you that Ginny is the one and, as you and I can see, the one is real. Elaine, please…"

Elaine shook her head. "I just don't know, Harry…"

Harry ran a hand through his hair before looking at Elaine again. "Please," he begged, "I'm asking you to believe in the dream girl… for me."

"Harry, it's not that I don't believe in her…" she whispered. "I just don't believe it's her."

Harry did not catch a single word Elaine said because she had said it so quietly. "What?' he wondered.

Elaine shut her eyes; she was certainly not going to confess to _anything, _now or ever. Especially not to Harry, not after he confessed to her about Ginny.

"It's nothing," she sighed. "I was just saying to go write that letter to Ginny now."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> This chapter of the story was rewritten and republished on _November 8, 2013._

So I know I said I would work on the story once I got to my boyfriend's apartment, but I didn't. I actually had to finish my midterm online before midnight. That, sadly, took until nearly midnight. After my midterm, I apparently knocked out on the couch while my boyfriend and I were studying together. So… yeah, I'm sorry, guys.

I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter of the story. I'm off to rewrite the next chapter, since I'm not leaving for home until like six o'clock, which is like seven hours away from now. Thanks for reading this update. Remember to review! And feel free to check out any of the other stories I have out.

- May


	11. Chapter 11

**FULL SUMMARY: **Dream after dream, Harry Potter sees a girl that just give him butterflies in his stomach; he is thoroughly convinces that this girl does to Hogwarts with him. His only problem with her? Every time he comes close to seeing the face of this girl, he wakes up from his dreams. So when he tells his best gal pal Elaine Port, she laughs and tries to convince Harry that maybe his so-called "dream girl" really is just in his dreams. Is Elaine right? Or is Harry's dream girl a reality?

* * *

><p><strong>DISCLAIMER:<strong> Though I find this completely unnecessary, I feel somewhat obligated to state that the Harry Potter franchise does not belong to me. Also, as you read the story, keep in mind that this is simply a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either products of their rightful owner's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

* * *

><p><strong>STORY DEDICATION:<strong> To swiftscout – the girl who used to mock my obsession for Harry Potter until she read the books cover to cover – this one's for you.

* * *

><p><span>Chapter Eleven – Something's the Matter<span>

Elaine poked at her dinner miserably; what else was she supposed to do? She had just given Harry – the boy she had crushed on since her second year – the green light to tell his girlfriend, Ginny Weasley, that she was the girl of his dreams.

"I am such a moron," she murmured to herself as she continued to slouch over her food.

"Can't say I completely disagree with you on that," Harry teased, taking his seat across the table. "What's wrong with you? You look… terrible!"

"That's something to tell a girl when she's already at her lowest point, Potter," Elaine joked with a faint smile. "Ginny's lucky to have you…"

The smile that managed to appear on Elaine's face faded as quickly as it materialized; the mention of Ron's little sister dating Harry hurt her. Instantly, she began poking at her food carelessly.

Harry noticed Elaine's quick mood swing. "No, seriously…" he went on, still eying her suspiciously. "What's the matter? We haven't spoken to each other in nearly two months now. And the first day we officially start talking again, you're depressed. Now can you please tell me what's wrong with that statement?"

Elaine rolled her eyes playfully. "I dunno, Harry!" she shrugged. "Maybe it's because we're officially talking again."

"Seriously, Elaine?" Harry groaned as he rolled his eyes.

Tossing her dark hair over her shoulder, Elaine laughed. "I really don't know what's wrong," she lied. "It's not you; if anything, I'm really glad we're speaking again. Look, I'll see you in the Common Room…"

With that, Elaine pushed her plate of food toward the center of the table and stood up. Then, she stood up and left the Great Hall before Harry could have a say.

Harry looked at Elaine's untouched tray of food; had she eaten at all? He sighed to himself, knowing that something was very wrong. The only problem was he did not know what it was that was bothering Elaine. They _just_ started talking again; Elaine could not be distraught about _that_, could she?

"_Women_…" he complained.

* * *

><p>Later that night, Harry found Elaine sitting by the fireplace. She appeared to be knitting while she was reading the night's copy of the <em>Evening Prophet<em>. Harry took mental notes that she looked even sadder than she did at dinner.

He still did not understand what was the matter with her; apparently, none of the girls from her dormitory knew either. From what the other girls had told him at dinner, Elaine seemed fine until their talk that afternoon. From what Harry saw, Elaine was like that when she was around him.

Harry slowly approached the silent, distraught teen. With a smile, he sat down across from her. Elaine did not look up from the evening's paper; she simply continued to knit whatever it was she was making – as if she did not notice Harry's presence.

"If you want to read the _Prophet_, you can have it," Elaine said, not looking up from the paper. "This thing basically exists to tell its readers what they want to hear."

"And you're read it because…?" Harry wondered, walking over to Elaine to retrieve the paper.

Elaine shrugged as she put her knitting needles on her lap. Harry had just taken the _Prophet _off her lap and sat beside her on the loveseat.

"I find the stories they publish complete rubbish nowadays," she admitted, "but I'm a sucker for their occasional _Fiendishly Difficult Crossword_ puzzles."

"Ah," Harry said with a short nod. "So… are you feeling any better?"

Elaine sighed as she looked at the scarf she was knitting. "I don't _feel_ any better. Do I at least look better?"

"Honestly?" Harry's wondered, his shoulders dropping as his gaze fell to Elaine. There was a blank stare in her brown eyes and lifelessness in her body language. "You look worse that you did at dinner."

Elaine sighed once more. "I really should go get some rest then…"

"You don't want to talk about it?" Harry asked.

"You should know me by now, Potter," she laughed. "I never want to talk about it. And even if I did… there's nothing to talk about."

Not with Harry, at least.

"If that's how you feel then. I respect it."

"G'night," Elaine bid her farewell as she stood to leave. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Night," Harry whispered to himself as Elaine disappeared beyond the stairs to her dormitory.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> This chapter was rewritten and republished on _November 8, 2013_.

Okay, that took a lot long to rewrite than I actually thought. I ended up doing a bit of laundry and cleaning at the apartment. I kinda felt bad that I messed up his bedroom looking for something and then I tore apart the living room while studying. So… I helped him out a bit. LOL sorry about the wait. We leave in like five hours and he's already gone off to class, so I'm stuck in his apartment with nothing to do. That means I might get to adding a chapter to this soon! Yay!

Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed this update. Please don't forget to review! And I'll see you all in the next chapter. Bye for now!

- May


	12. Chapter 12

**FULL SUMMARY: **Dream after dream, Harry Potter sees a girl that just give him butterflies in his stomach; he is thoroughly convinces that this girl does to Hogwarts with him. His only problem with her? Every time he comes close to seeing the face of this girl, he wakes up from his dreams. So when he tells his best gal pal Elaine Port, she laughs and tries to convince Harry that maybe his so-called "dream girl" really is just in his dreams. Is Elaine right? Or is Harry's dream girl a reality?

* * *

><p><strong>DISCLAIMER:<strong> Though I find this completely unnecessary, I feel somewhat obligated to state that the Harry Potter franchise does not belong to me. Also, as you read the story, keep in mind that this is simply a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either products of their rightful owner's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

* * *

><p><strong>STORY DEDICATION:<strong> To swiftscout – the girl who used to mock my obsession for Harry Potter until she read the books cover to cover – this one's for you.

* * *

><p><span>Chapter Twelve – The Girl of Flesh and Blood<span>

"How many more days until Hermione and Ron come back?" Harry whined as he helped Elaine with her knitting. "I can't stand another day of this!"

Elaine rolled her eyes. "_Wow_!" she remarked. "I didn't even ask you to help me; you _offered_."

"That's what makes me so nice," he said with a smirk. "But seriously, I'm starting to miss the others. Not that I don't enjoy your company one-on-one, but I miss playing Wizard's Chess with Ron. And I really miss Hermione and the way-."

"Ginny, Ron and Hermione will be back tomorrow morning," Elaine reminded with a slight frown. "I'm sure the Chosen One can handle ten more mores or so without his dearly beloved, right?"

Harry noted the tone change in Elaine's voice at the mention of Ginny. He scratched the back of his head with a sigh; he did not remember even mentioning Ginny. In fact, since the night he and Elaine started talking again, Harry managed to figure out that any mention of Ginny would send Elaine spiraling down into that sad phase. Harry always did his best to avoid the sensitive topic of his girlfriend around Elaine, but she was the one that always seemed to mention it.

"I've managed this far along in the break, right?" Harry replied with a chuckle. "Besides, the dreams I have are enough to keep me company for now…"

Elaine nodded as she continued to knit. "I guess…"

"What's up, Elaine?" Harry wondered. "I _know _something's up… and after spending enough time with you, I've concluded that this has something to do with Ginny being my dream girl."

Elaine sighed as she shook her head; what was she supposed to say at this point? Harry already sent the letter expressing his feelings about her and his dream girl to Ginny. It was not like Elaine could make him understand her feelings, right? After all, confessing to Harry now made Elaine look and feel like a home wrecker.

"I already told you, Harry," Elaine exhaled.

"And what exactly was that again, Elaine?" Harry asked. "Because, I feel like every time it comes up, you have seem to have a problem with it, but avoid diving any deeper than the surface of it all."

Elaine put her knitting needles to the side with a sigh. She rubbed her temples vigorously. "Harry, I told you; it's not that I don't believe in the girl of your dreams – I do! Believe me… I don't doubt you for a second on it anymore. Everyone has that dream person; yours just comes to you literally in your dreams. But… I don't think that Ginny is that person for you, Harry."

Harry looked up at Elaine from his seat beside her on the couch. What was she even saying? He already knew this much about how Elaine felt. Why was she so adamant about Ginny?

"Elaine, I know how you feel, but trust me when I say that Ginny is the girl of my dreams! It only makes sense. The dreams stopped the day she and I started dating. Then, they return the day Ginny leaves for vacation. Can you explain that to me?"

Elaine looked at the ground in confusion; she could not explain it. She did not know how to even begin. Harry did have a point, but in some way, Elaine just had a feeling that Harry was wrong – and that feeling was usually right.

"I can't! I don't know how to, Harry!"

"Then, what?"

"Harry, I don't want to see you get hurt if this all ends up blowing up in your face!" Elaine cried. "You are my best friend and I never want to see you hurt."

Harry sighed. "Elaine, she is the girl of my dreams… she wouldn't dare hurt me. How can I get you to see that? The girl of my dreams is practically perfect in every way."

"She's not Mary fucking Poppins, Potter," Elaine blurt out.

"Even so, Elaine, I think I love-."

Elaine shut her eyes tightly. Her frustration seemed to be getting the best of her. It was either she speak up now or forever regret that moment.

"Harry," she began, "no. Don't even bother with those words. You always talked about how the girl of your dreams made you feel. You always used to mention how she could make butterflies appear in your stomach with just the sound of her voice. You always used to say that – even though you never saw her face – she could brighten the room with just her smile. You said that she had a voice of an angel and the heart of pure gold. You said all these amazing things about her…

"But… can you tell me something then, lover boy? Does Ginny really, honestly make you feel this way? Or are trying to create something out of nothing because you have gotten sick and tired of searching for the girl of your dreams?"

Harry's shoulders dropped as he looked up to see that Elaine was hold back some tears. Frowning at the sight before him, he watched Elaine bury her head in her arms.

"What are you saying?" Harry asked, suddenly very afraid of her answer. "Ginny… is the one. Who else could it possibly be? My search is over. She is the girl of my dreams."

Elaine stood up from her seat on the couch before turning to Harry one last time. "Harry, if I may say… far better than any dream girl is the one of flesh and blood. Good night."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>This chapter of the story was rewritten and republished on _November 9, 2013_.

Thank you for reading! Ya'know, I keep telling you guys that I'll update quickly throughout the day, but then it never happens because something manages to come up. So, instead of giving you false hope this time, let me just say: I will be updating sometime within the week – no more than two weeks. I'm not sure about how quickly I'll update tomorrow – if I even get to it – because I have relatives coming then. The day after is the day I go back home, so a majority of my time will be spent in a car or unpacking and doing homework. Tuesday should be a clear day. Same with Wednesday and Thursday. That could change very quickly though. Friday, I have a business meeting (probably) with the godsissy. Then Saturday is a family party for my boyfriend's cousins. So yeah… we'll see what happens.

Anyways, I really hope you enjoyed this chapter of the story. Thank you so much for reading, guys! If you've got any questions or comments, lemme know! Also, review! Please and thank you!

- May


	13. Chapter 13

**FULL SUMMARY: **Dream after dream, Harry Potter sees a girl that just give him butterflies in his stomach; he is thoroughly convinces that this girl does to Hogwarts with him. His only problem with her? Every time he comes close to seeing the face of this girl, he wakes up from his dreams. So when he tells his best gal pal Elaine Port, she laughs and tries to convince Harry that maybe his so-called "dream girl" really is just in his dreams. Is Elaine right? Or is Harry's dream girl a reality?

* * *

><p><strong>DISCLAIMER:<strong> Though I find this completely unnecessary, I feel somewhat obligated to state that the Harry Potter franchise does not belong to me. Also, as you read the story, keep in mind that this is simply a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either products of their rightful owner's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

* * *

><p><strong>STORY DEDICATION:<strong> To swiftscout – the girl who used to mock my obsession for Harry Potter until she read the books cover to cover – this one's for you.

* * *

><p><span>Chapter Thirteen – Confusion<span>

Harry watched in silence as Elaine stormed off to the sixth year girls' dormitory. She left in such a rush – and in such a fury – that watching quietly was all Harry was left to do. He sighed to himself as he sat alone on the couch, thinking about what Elaine meant about the girl of flesh and blood. Whatever was bothering Elaine was now bothering his inner thoughts.

Now sitting alone in the Gryffindor Common Room, Harry looked at the fireplace. For the next few hours, he continued to sit in the Common Room, thinking only about the last thing Elaine had said to him before running off. What was he supposed to get out of that? _The girl of flesh and blood_?

"Obviously, she meant Ginny, right?" Harry asked himself as he stood up to pace around the room. "Unless she's suggesting that I look elsewhere for the girl of my dreams…? Or she's implying that she believes that my dream girl is real…? No, that's not it. She already said she believes in the girl; she just doesn't believe it's Ginny…"

Harry looked around the room, as if hoping for a clue to drop down from the ceiling.

"Are you really _that _dimwitted?" a man in the portrait remarked.

"Well, excuse me!" Harry interjected. "Elaine has got to be one of the most cryptic girls here at Hogwarts; most of the things she says are riddles encoded with some type of message that she's trying to give off."

The man in the portrait shook his head with a frown. "Are you sure about that one?"

"Yes!"

"Because anyone could decode that message for you," the man went on. "That poor, poor girl. Shame on your for putting her through all that torture."

"What!" Harry remarked. "Are you mental?"

With that, Harry raced up to the sixth year boys' dormitory with a scowl on his face. He was not going to let a portrait tell him off like that. Once Harry was in his bed, he found that he could not sleep. He sighed to himself as he tossed and turned, restlessly. Why he could not fall asleep was beyond him.

"Dammit!" he cursed as the sunlight soon poured into the boys' dorm.

Harry did not sleep that night; he honestly could not and for that, he was somewhat thankful. He did not want to have to deal with the girl of his dreams while trying to decode Elaine's mysterious statement. Besides, Harry knew that if he was too focused on Elaine, then he would not have time to finally gaze upon the face of the girl of his dreams.

"It's been months and I still haven't seen her face," Harry groaned into his pillow. "Seriously? I thought at least by now she would have shown me her face; I mean, I see Ginny's face almost every day!"

* * *

><p>That morning, Harry sat in the Great Hall across the way from Elaine. Neither of them had spoken so much of a word to each other, however, they did not want Hermione and Ron to think that they were still fighting.<p>

"Can you pass the butter please?" Elaine muttered, not looking up at Harry.

Silently, Harry gently slid the tray of butter toward Elaine. "Here you go…"

"Thanks…" she said in a whisper, lifting the butter tray.

"Elaine!" Hermione's voice echoed through the dining hall.

"Hermione!" Elaine shouted back, tossing the tray in Harry's direction to hug Hermione. "You're back!"

Not responding quickly enough, Harry let the block of butter hit him directly in the chest. "Elaine, seriously?"

"Oh, come off it, Harry," Hermione scolded, rolling her eyes. "Don't act like you didn't deserve it."

Elaine released Hermione from the embrace, exchanging a confused glance with Harry. As much as she would have liked to admit that Harry deserved that slip of the hand, Elaine did not understand why. It was not as though Hermione knew of what happened last night in the Common Room. And on the off-chance that she did, it was not as though Harry actually _deserved _what just happened; it was not his fault for being so oblivious.

"What?" Harry and Elaine wondered in unison.

"He didn't tell you?" Hermione asked Elaine. "Harry, Ginny is upset beyond reason because of what you did; she couldn't focus on anything during the holidays because of you!"

"What?" Harry repeated.

"Why?" Elaine questioned, thinking about all the possibilities about why Ginny could be mad.

Elaine looked toward Harry, hoping for a definite answer, but by the looks of it, Harry did not even know what he did wrong.

"I'll explain later," Hermione said to Elaine, not making any further eye contact with Harry, "perhaps in the privacy of our dorms." I still have to unpack. You can come with me if you please; Ronald's upstairs in the Common Room."

Elaine shook her head, focusing all her attention on Harry. "I think I'll stay here, Hermione. I should help Harry clean himself up; it is my fault after all…"

"Suit yourself," Hermione said with a curt nod. "You know where to find me when you need me."

After Hermione left the Great Hall, Elaine took her seat across Harry with a confused look on her face. "What the bloody hell did-?"

"I have no idea," Harry replied with a confused look on his face. "I don't know how I could have pissed her off. I haven't don't anything wrong… at least, I don't think I have."

"You'd think that she would, at the very least, be overjoyed that you told her that she was the girl of your dreams. How ungrateful…"

"Crap!" Harry mumbled. "Elaine, I have to talk to Ginny immediately."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>This chapter of the story was rewritten and republished on _November 10, 2013._

Here's your update for today, guys! Looks like Harry's found himself in some trouble. Only question is: why?

Thank you so much for reading! If all goes well, I'll have a new chapter out this month. Like a legit chapter, not a reedit. I hope you guys enjoyed this update. Reviews would be pretty dang awesome, ya'know what I'm saying? Much love.

- May


	14. Chapter 14

**FULL SUMMARY: **Dream after dream, Harry Potter sees a girl that just give him butterflies in his stomach; he is thoroughly convinces that this girl does to Hogwarts with him. His only problem with her? Every time he comes close to seeing the face of this girl, he wakes up from his dreams. So when he tells his best gal pal Elaine Port, she laughs and tries to convince Harry that maybe his so-called "dream girl" really is just in his dreams. Is Elaine right? Or is Harry's dream girl a reality?

* * *

><p><strong>DISCLAIMER:<strong> Though I find this completely unnecessary, I feel somewhat obligated to state that the Harry Potter franchise does not belong to me. Also, as you read the story, keep in mind that this is simply a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either products of their rightful owner's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

* * *

><p><strong>STORY DEDICATION:<strong> To swiftscout – the girl who used to mock my obsession for Harry Potter until she read the books cover to cover – this one's for you.

* * *

><p><span>Chapter Fourteen – Let the Drama Unfold<span>

Elaine sighed, watching Harry rush out of the somewhat empty dining hall. How many times, she wondered, would she have to watch the boy of _her _dreams walk away from her because of Ginny? Shaking her head at the thought, Elaine looked at the plate of food before her; the lonely unbuttered piece of toast have been left untouched after the incident that had just played out in front of her.

"What the bloody hell did he write in that letter?" Elaine muttered to herself, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Honestly, does that boy not know how to be straightforward with a girl? How hard is it to just come out and say, 'Hey Gin; you're the girl of my dreams!'? I mean, c'mon…"

With that, Elaine stood from her seat at the Gryffindor table and stormed off without touching the rest of her breakfast. She raced out of the Great Hall, making her way up to the staircase to the seventh floor. Maybe she could get her mind off of things if she helped Hermione unpack. Elaine had not expected for Hermione and Ron to return to Hogwarts only to have _more_ drama unfold between her and Harry; if anything, that was the last thing she expected and yet, she was now in the middle of it all.

"Password," the portrait of the Fat Lady demanded from Elaine as the latter approached the entrance of the Gryffindor Common Room.

The round-faced girl looked at the Fat Lady and recited the password thoughtlessly. "Abstinence."

As the portrait swung open, Elaine crawled into the Gryffindor Common Room, where she happened upon Hermione and Ron. By the looks of it, the couple seemed to be discussing a private topic, for the two of them were pressed closely together on the couch and speaking in hushed tones.

"Ronald," Hermione whispered to the redheaded boy, "I just don't understand; it seems as though even Harry doesn't know what's going on. Are you positive that your sister isn't just – oh, I don't know – overreacting?"

With a confused look on his face, Ron put his hands to his head as he leaned forward. "I dunno, Hermione! She's really upset; I think the two of them just need to talk it out. I mean, even if it is a misunderstand, this shouldn't be something we get involved with."

"You just don't want to deal with your sister, do you?" Hermione scolded. "Ronald Weasley, do you realize that your baby sister is upstairs in her dormitory sobbing for the umpteenth time since that day at the Burrow; she is heartbroken! The very least you could do is show her that you care."

"Were you not just saying that she was overreacting?" Ron asked, confusion striking him harder. "Plus, she's a strong girl, Hermione; she can handle this one on her own."

Elaine sighed, looking down at the ground below her. Ginny was crying? What, Elaine wondered to herself, did Harry write in that blasted letter? If Elaine had found out she was the girl of Harry Potter's dreams, she would be far from upset about it; at the very least, she probably be overjoyed. She rolled her eyes; why did Harry have to mess things up – intentional or not.

"Oh!" Hermione exclaimed as her gaze met Elaine's. "You're back from breakfast early."

Elaine nodded as she plopped herself in the squashy armchair across from Hermione and Ron. "I guess I wasn't that hungry…" she lied. "Plus, breakfast has not been the same without you, mate; I can actually eat my meals in peace."

"Shut up," Ron laughed. "I've missed you too, Elaine. Mum knit you a beanie and she got you a Christmas present too."

Elaine gave Ron a crooked smile before looking at the staircase that led to the girls' dormitories. Her mind began to wonder about what was going on with Ginny. How bad, she asked herself again, was Harry's letter? It was the only question that lingered in Elaine's mind.

"Really?" she said in awe. "Thank Molly for me, would ya, Weasley? I swear, your mother is the sweetest thing on the planet. What'd she get me this year?"

Ron smiled back at Elaine as he put his arm around Hermione. "More yarn for your knitting and new needles."

"Sweet!" Elaine chirped. "Uh, random question, but where's Harry?"

Elaine noticed the exchange of looks between the couple; a look of disapproval from Hermione and a look of uncertainty from Ron.

"He's in his dorm," Ron explained. "He said something about not being ale to sleep last night before jumping into bed."

Elaine looked at Ron with bewilderment; Harry had told her that he was off to find Ginny to explain the probability of misunderstanding his letter.

"Oh, of course," Hermione added, "that was shortly after Ginny nearly ripped his head off for what he did to her."

"What did he do to her?" Elaine wondered.

"She just went off about some letter he wrote to her," Ron added. "But I don't understand why she had to drag you into it."

"What!" Elaine bellowed. "You're kidding. What the hell?"

"No," Hermione replied. "We heard your name a couple of times, but then they took their fight outside the Common Room."

"Maybe Gin just needs some time to cool off before she and Harry can patch things up," Elaine offered, now wondering her role in the entire situation. "After all, this is the first time they've seen each other since Harry wrote that letter, right? Assuming this is about that letter. Maybe all the emotions that Ginny couldn't express back home resurfaced when she saw Harry again."

"Maybe…" the couple said in unison.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> This chapter of the story was rewritten and republished on _November 13, 2013._

Done and done! WOOOOOOOOO! I'm sorry if this was a little too short for your liking; I am doing the best that I can with the time I've got. I would have published this sooner, but I honestly _just _finished it. I would have finished and published last night, but my best friend contacted me via Skype and I was super excited because I never get to talk to him. 500+ miles away from each other and we're still making things work.

Anyhow, I have class in a couple of minutes, but before I go. I would like to dedicate this chapter to **Matanator** for being the newest follower to this story. I shall be publishing the most recent chapter very, very soon. But before I do I would just like to ask: from whose point of view would you like to see the next chapter? Harry's or Elaine's? I have both stories written out and I would just like to know which one you guys are interested in seeing first! Either way, more drama will unfold. And either way, you'll all be a step closer to knowing the truth.

Please leave a review and let me know what you guys want! And I'll see you all in the next chapter. Thanks for reading, loves.

- May


	15. Chapter 15

**FULL SUMMARY: **Dream after dream, Harry Potter sees a girl that just give him butterflies in his stomach; he is thoroughly convinces that this girl does to Hogwarts with him. His only problem with her? Every time he comes close to seeing the face of this girl, he wakes up from his dreams. So when he tells his best gal pal Elaine Port, she laughs and tries to convince Harry that maybe his so-called "dream girl" really is just in his dreams. Is Elaine right? Or is Harry's dream girl a reality?

* * *

><p><strong>DISCLAIMER:<strong> Though I find this completely unnecessary, I feel somewhat obligated to state that the Harry Potter franchise does not belong to me. Also, as you read the story, keep in mind that this is simply a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either products of their rightful owner's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

* * *

><p><strong>STORY DEDICATION:<strong> To swiftscout – the girl who used to mock my obsession for Harry Potter until she read the books cover to cover – this one's for you.

* * *

><p><span>Chapter Fifteen – The One At Fault<span>

For the next few hours or so, Hermione and Ron exchanged their holiday anecdotes to Elaine, who filled them in on her uneventful stay at the castle. Hermione told stories about the cozy cabin her parents rented out at the ski resort while Ron reported on the winter shenanigans of the Weasley twins, as well as the rest of his family.

"Mate, you set yourself up for that…" Elaine remarked. "You basically walked into that prank. Oh man, I miss the twins so bad."

"Oh, believe me," Ron groaned. "The twins miss their partner in crime just as much as you miss them."

Elaine and Hermione laughed at Ron's comment. Hermione then turned to face the round-faced girl sitting on the floor beside the unlit fireplace.

"So… what really happened during the break?" Hermione questioned. "When we left, you and Harry weren't on speaking terms. This morning, the two of your were sitting with each other at breakfast."

Shrugging, Elaine looked at stairway to the Boys' Dormitory sadly. "Nothing happened, honestly. We just started talking the day after you guys left and… that's about it. We actually had an awkward misunderstanding last night and this morning was kinda just the outcome of it: an even more awkward breakfast alone."

"Oh…" Hermione said, carefully eyeing Elaine. "What did you two fight about?"

Elaine shrugged. "I wouldn't call it a fight, Hermione; it was literally a misunderstanding… about Mary Poppins."

"You're kidding, right?" Hermione wondered. "Why in Merlin's name would you argue about that?"

"… he was talking about her practical perfection," Elaine explained, knowing full well what she and Harry had fought about the night prior. "And I guess, I disagreed; it was a really stupid misunderstanding."

Hermione and Ron exchanged doubtful looks with each other before nodding toward Elaine, who was now standing.

"Where're you going?" Ron asked her.

The light-brown haired girl pointed toward her dormitory. "I'll be right back, I promise. I'm just gonna get my knitting needles, so that the three of us can continue catching up, okay?"

Without waiting for a response from the couple, Elaine rushed up the stairs to the girls' dormitory. Although she had raced up the stairs, the Gryffindor slowly and fearfully approached the dormitory door. She knocked hesitantly before nudging the door open.

"What the hell do you what?" a cool voice sneered from the bed furthest from the door.

Elaine locked eyes with Ginny Weasley. She took note that the fifth year's flaming red hair was a tangled mess, as opposed to the long silk-like appearance it naturally had. Elaine also noticed at the young Weasley's brown eyes no longer shone with the brightness they once had before the holiday.

"… hey, Ginny…!" Elaine blurted out. She could feel the tension in the room worsen as she made her way to sit on the bed next to Ginny's. "So… how was break?"

"Why do you care?" the young girl hissed, standing up from the bed. "Give me one good reason why I should believe that you even give a bloody damn about how my holiday was!"

Quickly taking a few steps back, Elaine prayed that the redhead before her would not make any sudden attacks. "I do care, Gin… whatever gave you the idea that… I didn't?"

"I'm supposed to believe that?" Ginny screamed, reaching into her sweater pocket and tossing out a balled up piece of parchment. "Do you see _this_? _This_ is all _your _fault!"

As the youngest Weasley inched toward her with a glare, Elaine continued to take a few steps backwards. When Ginny chucked the balled up paper toward Elaine, she attempted to catch it; however, as it landed in her hands, Elaine quickly dropped it as Ginny continued to scream at her.

"So just grab your stupid letter and get the hell out of my dorm!" Ginny exclaimed angrily.

Elaine looked at Ginny confused. What on earth did she have to do with a still little piece of paper. "Ginny, can't we talk about this?" she wondered as tried to unravel the parchment.

"Out!" Ginny shouted, pushing Elaine out the fifth year girls' dormitory.

As the door slammed behind her, Elaine came face to face with Hermione.

"Up to get your needles, huh?" Hermione taunted. "Lose your way to our dorm, Elaine?"

"Sorta…" Elaine replied, still stunned at her encounter with Ginny. "I guess. What're you doing here?"

"You were taking forever to get back to the Common Room," Hermione said. "I figured I would go check on you, but then I heard screaming from our dorm. So I went to check it out… Is everything okay?"

"I… don't think so?" Elaine said, looking at the balled up parchment. "Apparently, it's my fault…"

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>This chapter of the story was written on _December 12, 2013_ and published on _March 1, 2014. _

I am sooooo sorry for the delay in all of this. I moved back in with my parents after my first semester because my depression worsened. Plus all the chaos of moving back prevented me from publishing this. Soooo, I am really, really sorry. I wish it could've published this before moving out, but I forgot about it until everything finally settled down.

Honestly, though… I am so sorry. I can't say that enough. Uhm, to answer a few questions from my hiatus: Yes, Elaine is my OC. She was created years prior to writing this fanfiction, but once I came up with the idea of the fanfiction… I decided that this was the perfect story for her. And for the anonymous reviewer that asked about the Starkid reference, yes. Yes, it was. I love the Starkids! My little brother even got us tickets to go see Apocalytour when they were in Anaheim. LOL.

Anyways, my apologies again. I'll update ASAP. OOOOOH! And and and please leave a review.

Much thanks!

~ May


	16. Chapter 16

**FULL SUMMARY: **Dream after dream, Harry Potter sees a girl that just give him butterflies in his stomach; he is thoroughly convinces that this girl does to Hogwarts with him. His only problem with her? Every time he comes close to seeing the face of this girl, he wakes up from his dreams. So when he tells his best gal pal Elaine Port, she laughs and tries to convince Harry that maybe his so-called "dream girl" really is just in his dreams. Is Elaine right? Or is Harry's dream girl a reality?

* * *

><p><strong>DISCLAIMER:<strong> Though I find this completely unnecessary, I feel somewhat obligated to state that the Harry Potter franchise does not belong to me. Also, as you read the story, keep in mind that this is simply a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either products of their rightful owner's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

* * *

><p><strong>STORY DEDICATION:<strong> To swiftscout – the girl who used to mock my obsession for Harry Potter until she read the books cover to cover – this one's for you.

* * *

><p><span>Chapter Sixteen - Escaping Reality<span>

Harry lie in his bed with a frown on his face. Prior to the happenings of the day, he figured that Ginny's return would have bee one of the happiest moments of his life. Obviously, he thought wrong as he rubbed his eyes. He did not understand why she had started yelling at him the moment he crawled through into the Gryffindor Common Room.

"What the hell did I do wrong?" he sighed to himself, laying into the empty dormitory.

He thought back to the argument that they had before he dragged himself up to his dorm. Ginny had mentioned something about the letter he had written her. But why would she be upset about _that_? He thought that the letter was completely thought out and heartfelt! Or… at least, that was how he remembered feeling when he wrote it. So were the words on the letter reflective of how he felt?

"Dammit!" he cursed, thrashing around on his bed in frustration. He forgot what he wrote in the letter! "What the hell is wrong with me? Crap!"

Smacking himself in the face as he shut his eyes once more, Harry wriggled around on his bed, trying to get comfortable. The Gryffindor figured that he might as well drift off to sleep, seeing as nothing in his reality was going right.

"_There are you are!" Harry called out to the longhaired beauty before him. He never noticed that it was long. In fact, he never took her hair color into consideration; he only over focused his attention on her face. "What are you doing all the way over there, though? You're usually here… with me."_

"_You said it, Harry," said the girl, not turning to face him. "You said it all last night. Your search is _over_. So why do you still feel the need to come to see me in your dreams? I thought-."_

"_Well, nothing is going right in my reality!" Harry admitted, allowing himself to look away from his dream girl. "_Nothing _at all! I figured that you would be the only one out there that could make me feel at peace…! I thought that maybe you could make me feel like… maybe I'm not a screw up!""_

"… _so what makes you think I can help you with that, my dear?" the girl said, finally turning to face Harry. "You said your search was _over_."_

_Still not looking in the direction of his dream girl, Harry sighed to himself as collapsed to the ground. "Because… you're the girl of my dreams!"_

"_Harry," the girl said as she stood before the balled up boy. "… you always talked about how the girl of your dreams made you feel. You always used to mention how she could make butterflies appear in your stomach with just the sound of her voice. You always used to say that – even thought you never saw her face – she could brighten the room with just her smile. You said that she had the voice of an angel and the heart of pure gold. You said all these amazing things about her…_

"_But… can you tell me something then, lover boy? Does Ginny _really, _honestly make you feel this way? Or are you trying to create something out of nothing because you have gotten sick and tired of searching for the girl of your dreams?"_

_Harry's head snapped up to face of his dreams. Why did those words sound so familiar? Why did those words already linger in his thoughts before she said them? Why? And why was it that her face was hard to make out? Was it because of the all the light that surrounded her?_

"_What are you saying?" Harry found himself asking the girl, suddenly very afraid of the words that might escape his dream girl's lips. "Ginny… is the one. She's the girl of my dreams…"_

"_Then, why do you continue to slip into these states?" she said, turning her back on Harry . "If she's the girl of your dreams, why do you have to find your escape to me? Did what I just said not mean _anything _to you?"_

_Jumping to his feet, Harry replied, "Yes! It does mean something to me! But why are you so determined to figure out why I'm here! I thought I told you why I was here! It was to escape the reality that I'm facing right now."_

"_Harry… dear," she sighed, "this is all just a dream! You can't keep coming here when things aren't going the way you want them to. Honey, if your search is really over… why don't you go out there and fix everything…"_

"_Because you can make me feel better! My subconscious has been trying to tell me something since the moment these dreams started and it was that _you_ are the one who can solve all my problems."_

"_Harry, I hate to be the one to tell you this, but your subconscious is an ignoramus!"_

_Why did that sound painfully familiar?_

"_I'm… being serious…" Harry said, his thoughts drifting. "Something's off about you…"_

_The girl turned to face Harry once again, her face not visible to Harry once again. "Don't you see, Harry? I'm the girl of your _dreams_… this is where I am meant to stay."_

"_What are you saying!" Harry cried, running up to her. "You're real! You're real! I know you are! What about this wild goose chase you've sent me on! You were the one who said we could meet at the Quidditch Pitch! You were the one who said Elaine would see in the end."_

"_Don't you get it, love?" she whispered sadly. "I merely exist in your dreams. _You_ were the one who dreamt me up. _You _were the one who dreamt up the idea of meeting me in the Quidditch Pitch. I say and do all the things _you _wanted me to. _You _dreamt up everything… the way you wanted to see it unfold."_

"_No!" Harry shouted at her. "Then what makes this dream any different, huh? Why have you suddenly changed the way you are!"_

"_Harry, this is all _your _doing. Everything I am is all _you _make me out to be."_

"_No. No. No! You are the dream girl, but my dreams are not where you are meant to stay! You're everything I wanted and more… you have to be real!"_

"_Harry," the girl replied with a (finally) visible smile, "if I may say, far better than any dream girl is the one of flesh and blood."_

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>This chapter of the story was written and published on _March 2, 2014._

What d'ya think of that, huh?

This story is turned out to be a lot longer than I had planned it to be, but I hope that you guys are enjoying it now that I'm back from my hiatus (again). I apologize for that again, by the way!

Thank you for reading! I really hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I did writing it. If you have any questions or comments, lemme know in the reviews. And even if you don't have a question or comment, don't forget to leave a review to let me know how I'm doing!

In the next chapter (or the one after that), we'll see what Harry wrote to Ginny in that letter and why it's upsetting her so. I love you, guys and I thank you for reading once again. Wooot! See you in the next story update.

- May


	17. Chapter 17

**FULL SUMMARY: **Dream after dream, Harry Potter sees a girl that just give him butterflies in his stomach; he is thoroughly convinces that this girl does to Hogwarts with him. His only problem with her? Every time he comes close to seeing the face of this girl, he wakes up from his dreams. So when he tells his best gal pal Elaine Port, she laughs and tries to convince Harry that maybe his so-called "dream girl" really is just in his dreams. Is Elaine right? Or is Harry's dream girl a reality?

* * *

><p><strong>DISCLAIMER:<strong> Though I find this completely unnecessary, I feel somewhat obligated to state that the Harry Potter franchise does not belong to me. Also, as you read the story, keep in mind that this is simply a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either products of their rightful owner's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

* * *

><p><strong>STORY DEDICATION:<strong> To swiftscout – the girl who used to mock my obsession for Harry Potter until she read the books cover to cover – this one's for you.

* * *

><p><span>Chapter Seventeen – The Letter<span>

Elaine sat alone in the Gryffindor Common Room with the parchment still balled up in her hand. She thought to herself in confusion. What was her relationship to the letter that sat in her hands? Why on earth would anyone link her to the letter? It was not as though Harry had written her name down as the girl of his dreams instead of Ginny, right?

Oh gosh! What if that was what it was? Elaine panicked silently as she stared at the letter, slowly trying to unwrap it once again.

"I can't do this…" she whispered to herself. "Once I do, there's no turning back."

Sighing to herself, Elaine allowed her gaze to drift from the letter to the staircase that led to Harry's dorm, where Hermione and Ron were now. What if Harry really had said that she was the girl of his dreams? But even if he did say that, would it have been a mistake or intentional?

Elaine knew she was far from ready to hear the answer to that… even if it was in her favor.

"Here goes nothing," she said before jumping right into the letter.

"_Gin,_

_I had somewhat of a conversation with Elaine the other night and some of the things she said really helped me some to my final conclusion about us. So… when you come back from the holidays, we need to talk. Urgently. This is just something I can't tell you in a letter. I'd prefer to tell you in person…_

_Until then,_

_Harry Potter."_

"You cannot be serious!" Elaine screamed at the letter. "Ugh!"

* * *

><p>"Ugh!" Harry groaned as he awoke from his slumber. "You cannot be serious!"<p>

"Some dream you were having there, huh?" Ron said to his best friend with a faint smile.

"Hermione? Ron? What are you two doing in here?" Harry wondered as he snapped up from the bed.

"Well," Hermione began to explain, "Elaine asked to be alone after Ginny kicked her out of the fifth year girls' dormitory. Apparently, Ginny blames Elaine for whatever's going on between the two of you."

"Yea, mate," Ron said, moving over so Hermione could sit beside him on the bed. "Do you have any idea about why my sister might believe that? I mean… Elaine's pretty… confused right now…? I guess. I dunno."

Harry buried his head under his pillow in frustration. Ginny blamed Elaine for their fight? Why?

"Bloody hell," Harry said from beneath the pillow, "what did I write in that letter?"

"Harry… what's going on?" Hermione asked.

Harry tossed his pillow at the other end of the bed as he sat up. Running a hand through his unruly black hair, the sixteen-year-old looked at his friends and sighed.

"This may sound really crazy," Harry said, "but for the past couple of months, I've been having these weird dreams…"

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>This chapter of the story was written and published on _March 2, 2014._

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter of the story. I should be bringing you guys the next update soon. Hopefully, that doesn't start another hiatus. I promise you here and now that it won't.

What do you guys think of Harry's letter? Was Ginny wrong to assume anything or was Harry just idiotic for writing it the way that he did? LOL oh! And what do you guys think of Harry letting Hermione and Ron in on what's been happening lately?

Anyways, please let me know what you guys think in the reviews! Thank you to all of you who took the time to read this chapter (as well as any other chapter from this story or any others)! I love you guys!

- May


	18. Chapter 18

**FULL SUMMARY: **Dream after dream, Harry Potter sees a girl that just give him butterflies in his stomach; he is thoroughly convinces that this girl does to Hogwarts with him. His only problem with her? Every time he comes close to seeing the face of this girl, he wakes up from his dreams. So when he tells his best gal pal Elaine Port, she laughs and tries to convince Harry that maybe his so-called "dream girl" really is just in his dreams. Is Elaine right? Or is Harry's dream girl a reality?

* * *

><p><strong>DISCLAIMER:<strong> Though I find this completely unnecessary, I feel somewhat obligated to state that the Harry Potter franchise does not belong to me. Also, as you read the story, keep in mind that this is simply a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either products of their rightful owner's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

* * *

><p><strong>STORY DEDICATION:<strong> To swiftscout – the girl who used to mock my obsession for Harry Potter until she read the books cover to cover – this one's for you.

* * *

><p><span>Chapter Eighteen – Putting the Pieces Together<span>

Harry continued to tell his two best friends everything he could about the girl from his dreams. He told them about when his dreams started and when Elaine found out. Harry went on to explain how that date with Cho Chang sparked the seemingly endless string of dates that followed. He even told Hermione and Ron about how the dreams stopped when he started dating Ginny and how they returned when she went away for break. Sighing to himself, he told his friends about his latest dream.

"I knew it!" Hermione exclaimed, jumping up from her stop on the bed.

Harry and Ron stared at her with wide-eyes.

"Excuse me?" Harry remarked. "Hermione, what are you talking about?"

Hermione grabbed Ron by the shoulders, suddenly excited for her discovery. "Ronald, do you remember that day in the Great Hall a month or so back? When I asked where Harry was and Elaine got defensive? Oh! Or just earlier, when she mentioned that she and Harry had a misunderstanding about Mary Poppins! It all makes sense now!"

"Wait, what?" Ron asked, still confused. "Hermione, I'm not sure I understand where you're going with this."

Turning to Harry, Hermione crossed her arms and said, "I knew something was different about you!"

Harry looked at Hermione with the same look of confusion that Ron had. "Hermione, I have to side with Ron on this. I really don't understand what's going on… okay, well I sorta do, but I don't understand why you're so bloody excited about it."

"Harry," Hermione said with a bright smile, "don't you see? Your dreams… the dream girl… everything you just told Ron and me. Oh Harry, how can you be so dense! Please tell me you get where I'm going with this. Harry, _please_!"

"Hermione, I'm really at a loss right now," Harry admitted as he ran his hand through his hair for he umpteenth time since waking up. "Besides, why are you getting so worked up about all of this? … they're just _dreams_…"

"Oh no, Harry," Hermione explained, looking at Ron who was just as lost as Harry. "They're not 'just dreams'; they're anything but that now. Don't you see?"

"Hermione," Ron said, "I think if he saw what you saw – if either of us saw what you do – we'd probably be as ecstatic as you… but the point is, we're not. You have a bit of explaining to do."

Hermione let out a sigh before sitting beside Ron once again. "Harry's dreams started a little after our sixth year started, right?"

The boys nodded on cue as Hermione went on.

"Who came back from the summer break with a completely new makeover?" Hermione asked, not expecting a verbal answer to her question. "Obviously, you're still not seeing it, huh?"

Harry and Ron looked at each other and then at Hermione. They both shook their heads.

"Is the answer to your question really that simple?" Ron wondered. "I mean everyone comes back from the summer holidays looking a little different from how they did the year before."

"Yeah!" Harry agreed. "I mean, right off the top of my head, I remember Elaine came back with really long hair – the longest it's ever been since we met her. That and she learned how to apply makeup properly so that she could bring out her eyes…"

Hermione smirked at Harry's explanation. "Okay, moving on to the next fact: when your dreams stopped occurring. Care to explain what happened then?"

"I told you already, Hermione!" Harry replied. "The dreams stopped after my first date with Ginny and they started again after you guys left for winter break."

Ron slowly caught on to what Hermione had hinted at from the start of the conversation. "In other words, mate," he said to Harry, "your dreams stopped the night of your date with my sister… that _same _night you and Elaine had a huge fight that led to her ignoring you…"

"Ignoring you until the day we went off to spend the holidays with our families," Hermione said. "Do you see it _now_? Harry, please tell me you see it now."

Harry sighed sadly. "Hermione, this is hopeless. I feel so stupid."

"So… do you see it?"

"No! That's why I feel completely daft. What am I missing here?" Harry groaned, burying his head under the pillow once more. "I'm missing something though, right? UGH!"

"Harry, you said that in your last dream, the dream girl recited familiar words," Hermione reminded. "Tell me something: _why _are those words so familiar to you?"

"Because those are all the same things that Elaine would always tell me," Harry said, miserably from under his pillow.

Hermione and Ron looked at each other; their best friend was not _completely_ dense, was he? How could Harry still not see what was being laid out in front of him perfectly?

"… because my dream girl was quoting Elaine!" Harry remarked, throwing the pillow in Ron and Hermione's direction. "But… why?"

"Harry, do you remember the day in the Great Hall?" Hermione asked. "That day when you told Ginny that she was saying things the same way the girl of your dreams would say?"

"Yeah, but Hermione," Harry said, "this isn't about that. This is about the girl of my dreams quoting Elaine."

"Exactly," Ron said. "Do you understand it now?"

"Harry, this whole time," Hermione stated, "your subconscious was really trying to tell you something!"

Harry put on a faint smile as he sat up to face Hermione and Ron. "Guys, I don't think you get it: my subconscious is an ignoramus!"

"Couldn't agree more," a voice drawled from the entrance of the dormitory. "You're just as bad, Potter."

"Elaine!" Hermione said gleefully. "It's so good you're here! Harry has something to tell you!"

"I do?" Harry wondered as Hermione forced him Elaine's way.

"About what we were just talking about!" Hermione pressed on. "Don't you have something to tell her, Harry?"

"Actually," Elaine interrupted, "if you don't mind, I'd like to have a couple of words with Harry alone."

Before Harry could utter another sound, Elaine grabbed his wrist and dragged him down to the Gryffindor Common Room. Eventually, she led her fellow Gryffindor out to the Black Lake. She released her hold on him and then plopped herself on the log just near the shore of the Black Lake.

The whole way from the Gryffindor Common Room to the Black Lake was silent. Harry said nothing to Elaine and she said nothing to him. What was there to say? It was not like he could just tell Elaine what he recently discovered. After all, he was still having a little trouble understanding what Hermione and Ron were trying to say; well, he understood, but he couldn't get why… not completely.

"So…" Harry began. "What-?"

"You. Shut up!" Elaine remarked, rubbing her temples. "I'm trying to think."

"Can I just ask you something though?" Harry said. "How much of the conversation did you hear?"

"I said: SHUT UP!" Elaine bellowed, rubbing her temples a little more violently. "What does what I heard matter? Besides, all I heard was you admitting that your subconscious is just as idiotic as you are."

"Elaine…" Harry said, the awkwardness of the situation hitting him. "… are you okay?"

"You seriously need to get your priorities straight, Potter," she hissed, running a hand through her light brown hair. "Your girlfriend is in her dormitory, crying her eyes out or _something_ and you're asking _me _if I'm okay."

"You're my best friend," Harry said with a sigh. "Of course, your wellbeing does matter to me. As for Ginny, I know… she and I had a little… spat before Hermione and Ron came to see me.

"But Elaine, that's besides the point: what did you want to talk about?"

"The girl of your dreams…"

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>This chapter of the story was written and published on _March 2, 2014_.

I hope these constant updates makes up for my absence. Because _for the first time in forever_, I finally feel good enough to write a story. I actually hope to complete this story by the end of the month. (Honestly, I don't think it's gonna take _that _long to finish it, but it's just a time frame I'm setting for myself.)

I think I said this in the last update, but _this story was originally only supposed to have eight chapters_. But… what the damn hell? We're already at chapter eighteen! YAY!

What did you think of this chapter? LOL I really hope you all liked it and I'm glad to see that all the favorites that this story is getting! Thank you so much to those of you who have done that for me; it really does mean a lot. Also, an even bigger thanks to those of you who have left reviews for me. They really make my day and they motivate me to keep updating as often as I have been.

Don't forget to leave a review for this chapter of the story! Thanks so much in advance. And thank you for taking the time to read this! :D

- May


	19. Chapter 19

**FULL SUMMARY: **Dream after dream, Harry Potter sees a girl that just give him butterflies in his stomach; he is thoroughly convinces that this girl does to Hogwarts with him. His only problem with her? Every time he comes close to seeing the face of this girl, he wakes up from his dreams. So when he tells his best gal pal Elaine Port, she laughs and tries to convince Harry that maybe his so-called "dream girl" really is just in his dreams. Is Elaine right? Or is Harry's dream girl a reality?

* * *

><p><strong>DISCLAIMER:<strong> Though I find this completely unnecessary, I feel somewhat obligated to state that the Harry Potter franchise does not belong to me. Also, as you read the story, keep in mind that this is simply a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either products of their rightful owner's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

* * *

><p><strong>STORY DEDICATION:<strong> To swiftscout – the girl who used to mock my obsession for Harry Potter until she read the books cover to cover – this one's for you.

* * *

><p><span>Chapter Nineteen – I'm Sorry<span>

Harry quickly took a seat beside Elaine on the log. "What about the girl of my dreams?" he wondered, thinking back to his conversation with Hermione and Ron. "Do you know who she is?"

"What the hell, Potter?" Elaine said in anger. "Did you not just tell me a while ago that your search was over because _Ginny _is the girl of your dreams? Speaking of which, _that _is exactly what I want to talk about with you."

"Yeah…" the raven haired boy sighed. "I think we really do need to talk about that."

"Oh!" Elaine went on. "So I figure that you already know what I'm going to say about all of this."

Harry watched as Elaine fished into her back pocket. "Well, actually… that's what Hermione, Ron and I were talking about in the dormitory before you pulled me away and dragged me out here…"

"I figured they would've talked to you about this," Elaine said, trying to smooth out the paper. "I mean… she did see me leaving Ginny's dormitory before heading up to see you. So… yeah, I guess you _would _know what I want to talk to you about."

"Well, you kinda just said you wanted to talk about the girl of my dreams," Harry replied. "But, Elaine, do you think I could-?"

"Harry," Elaine sighed, "your girlfriend gave this to me – actually, she chucked it at me… anyways, I've read it over and over again. You really should talk to her."

Looking at the letter in Elaine's hand, Harry sighed to himself. "I don't understand why she's so upset about a letter…"

"Ya'know, I thought the same thing when I heard she was pissed about it," Elaine said with a small laugh. "But Harry, she's upset because you were so vague! She thought you were going to break up with her… and then the fact that you put _my _name in it because I apparently 'helped you come to the final conclusion' about your relationship with her... it got her to think that I tried to sabotage your relationship…"

"Oh… so I should have been a little more specific about it?" Harry wondered.

"Yes!" Elaine exclaimed. "But I'm sure you can tell her about the misunderstanding. She'll probably take you back once you explain to her that she's the girl of your dreams."

"Wait, I thought that you said that the girl of my dreams didn't exist!" Harry remarked, looking at Elaine.

"To be honest, I didn't," Elaine admitted, "but the way that you talked about her… the way you always talked about her, you just brought her to life. I guess, I owe you an apology. I'm… so-."

"Elaine, that's what _I _want to talk about with you," Harry said. "_You _were r-."

"I know, Harry! I was wrong…" Elaine sighed. "I guess I just didn't want to believe that Ginny… _Ginny Weasley_ was the girl of your dreams. If I'm being honest, I think it's because of how I felt about you."

"What?" Harry was suddenly caught off guard; what was Elaine trying to say?

"There's really no point in talking about it," Elaine sighed. "I just wanted to tell you to clear the air with Ginny. Tell her it was a misunderstanding and that you're _not _leaving her because of me. I'm sure she'll understand."

Harry watched as Elaine stood up to leave the scene. Why was she in such a hurry to leave? She was the one who had dragged him out of his dormitory and down to the shores of the Black Lake. In fact, she wanted to talk to him… about the girl of his dreams. She was so angry at first, but he could sense her vulnerability toward the end of their conversation – if he could even consider the exchange a conversation.

"Elaine, wait!" Harry called out, standing up. He tucked the letter into his pocket before chasing after Elaine. "What are you saying?"

"Exactly what I just said," she replied. "Talk to your girlfriend and set things right… sorry for the way I acted."

Again, Harry watched as Elaine walked away from him. He could not put his finger on why Elaine was so down; she was not like that when she was pulling him through the halls.

"I meant about your feelings for me…" he whispered to himself, continuing to watch Elaine walk away from him.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> This chapter was written and published on _March 4, 2014_.

Actually, if I'm being honest with you guys, I started writing this chapter immediately after the last update. I even finished it! But I didn't publish it because I figured update overload wasn't the way to go with this story. _Plus_, I kinda wanted to work on something else. So I spent all of last night writing _Do You Wanna Go Play Quidditch? _as opposed to publishing this. Well, I also didn't publish this chapter right away because I wasn't happy with it the first time around.

I just changed the last line of the chapter… haha.

So… moving on: I hope you like this chapter of the story! Please remember to leave a review to let me know what you think/how you feel about what's going on in the story. Thank you again for reading!

For those of you that have a little more free time on your hands, feel free to check out any more of my stories. It would really mean a lot to me. LOL. Thanks for taking the time outta your day to read this! Love you guys!

- May


	20. Chapter 20

**FULL SUMMARY: **Dream after dream, Harry Potter sees a girl that just give him butterflies in his stomach; he is thoroughly convinces that this girl does to Hogwarts with him. His only problem with her? Every time he comes close to seeing the face of this girl, he wakes up from his dreams. So when he tells his best gal pal Elaine Port, she laughs and tries to convince Harry that maybe his so-called "dream girl" really is just in his dreams. Is Elaine right? Or is Harry's dream girl a reality?

* * *

><p><strong>DISCLAIMER:<strong> Though I find this completely unnecessary, I feel somewhat obligated to state that the Harry Potter franchise does not belong to me. Also, as you read the story, keep in mind that this is simply a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either products of their rightful owner's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

* * *

><p><strong>STORY DEDICATION:<strong> To swiftscout – the girl who used to mock my obsession for Harry Potter until she read the books cover to cover – this one's for you.

* * *

><p><span>Chapter Twenty – Hermione &amp; Ron's Say<span>

"Tell me again," Hermione said with a small sigh. "Why?"

Hermione and Elaine were in the sixth year girls' dormitory alone. While Hermione sat on her own bed, Elaine was banging her head against Parvati Patil's bedpost. The two friends were skipping dinner because Elaine was worried about running into Harry. Hermione watched as her friend continued to beat herself up; she had listened to Elaine's story about what happened earlier.

"I dunno," Elaine cried. "I guess I just lost it! I _wanted _to tell him-."

"How you feel about him?" Hermione guessed.

Elaine stopped hitting her head and stared at her best girl friend in shock.

"Elaine, your crush on Harry hasn't exactly been the biggest secret," Hermione said matter-of-factly.

Trudging to Hermione's bedside, Elaine continued to gape at the girl. "Hermione," she started, "you're lying."

Hermione smiled. "Calm down, Elaine. It wasn't that obvious; it's just the power of female intuition… that and I saw the doodles you scrawled all over your Transfiguration notes. You don't have to hide it from me anymore… I think it's cute."

"You don't understand, Hermione!" Elaine groaned. "Harry is _taken_ by Ginny. He's the girl of his dreams nonetheless! My confession would have meant nothing… That's why I lost it."

"Is that why you burst into the boys' dorm the way you did?"

"No… I did that because after I read the letter that Ginny gave me, I assumed that the reason she blamed me was because Harry identified me as the girl of his dreams… So when I read the letter and saw that I was mistaken, I was furious that Harry was unclear!"

Hermione's smile grew wider. "Elaine, did Harry ever tell you what occurred in his dreams?"

Rolling her eyes, Elaine stared back at Hermione. "Um, Hermione… that's not important anymore. We're talking about my feelings here…."

"But Elaine, I'm serious! Has he?"

"… but Hermione, how often do I ever talk about my feelings?" Elaine exclaimed. "Can we please not make this about Harry and his stupid dream girl?"

Opening her mouth and then closing it quickly, Hermione sighed. She knew that unless Elaine understood where she was going with the conversation, she would never get to her point. So how could she make Elaine see her point now if she couldn't even mention the dream girl?

* * *

><p>"Maybe you should try talking to her," Ron suggested. "I'm sure Ginny will understand."<p>

Harry groaned as he repeatedly hit his head against his bedpost. "Ron, you don't understand. Ginny blames Elaine just as much as she blames me. If I try talking to Elaine, Ginny will think I'm leaving her… for Elaine."

"What makes you think that?"

"That stupid note I wrote to her makes her believe that!" Harry scolded himself for even writing that day. "I wrote her this tiny note the day I told Elaine that Ginny was the girl of my dreams, but looking back, I was so… _vague_…"

"Is that what your whole fight was about?" Ron wondered. "A stupid letter?"

"It… was more of a note," Harry said. "I didn't want to tell her that she was the girl of my dreams through a letter! So I wrote her a quick note to tell her that we needed to talk."

"But Harry," Ron said, "we went over this earlier: Ginny's not that girl."

"Because that girl is a fantasy," Harry sighed, finally hopping off his bed. "My subconscious created some make-believe girl. I was wrong the whole time!"

"Actually, Harry, I think your subconscious was onto something."

"What are you talking about?"

Ron shrugged. "Think about it. You start having these dreams about your ideal girl a little into this year, the same year Elaine decides to grow her hair out _and _start caring about how she looks. Your dreams stopped when you stopped talking to Elaine… and then they started up again when you start talking to her again.

"I don't think that's a coincidence. There's nothing coincidental about any of this – well, except for my sister. I mean, it was a coincidence when she quoted the girl of your dreams. It was coincidence that we went on break the same day your dreams reappeared. Do you understand what we were trying to tell you earlier, Harry?"

Massaging the bridge of his nose, Harry shut his eyes tightly. What was Ron trying to say?

"And then, earlier today!" Ron remarked. "You said she didn't want to believe this dream girl because of how she felt for you, right? Doesn't that mean anything to you?"

"It just doesn't make sense, Ron! Elaine's like my best friend… she can't have feelings for me. We're just friends!"

Ron rolled his eyes before replying. "Hermione and I were friends before we started dating."

"What about Ginny?" Harry retorted. "She's still my girlfriend, you know."

"Yeah… but that doesn't mean that you didn't have feelings for Elaine too."

Harry stared at Ron in confusion.

"Mate, I hate to be the one to say it, but did it ever occur to you that you forced yourself into liking Ginny?" Ron sighed. "You were so hung up on finding the girl of your dreams that when you linked my sister to her, you immediately swooped in to ask her out.

"You've spent months with her, but something tells me that you only took an interest in her because you thought there was a chance she could be the one. Harry… be honest: how do you feel about Ginny?"

"I don't know anymore… is that bad?"

"… how do you feel about Elaine?"

"If I don't know how I feel about Ginny, what the bloody hell makes you think I know how I feel about Elaine? I mean… you and Hermione are suggesting that _she _is the girl of my dreams. Elaine – the very girl that didn't even believe in the girl of my dreams. Elaine – the very same person who once claimed that relationships were just a way to weigh someone down, but apparently has feelings for me!

"Ron, she's one of my best friends! She's the not the girl of my dreams."

"Neither is Ginny," Ron reminded. "She's my sister and I love her, but Harry… the fact that you don't know how you feel about Ginny now that you believe that the girl of your dreams doesn't exist says everything about the future of your relationship with her."

"And what's that?"

"There isn't one," Ron replied. "If you were only dating her because you thought she was the girl of your dreams and nothing else… then, I think you should go talk to Ginny and sort things out with her. It's better to do that than have her believe that you want to break up because of Elaine."

"She'll hate me."

"Harry… most of the girls at this school hate you now," Ron stated simply. "It's your own fault for running off to find the girl of your dreams when she was right in front of you the whole time."

Harry ran a hand through his hair before looking down at the floor. How was he going to explain all of this to Ginny? More importantly, how was he going to fix his strained relationship with Elaine? Ron insisted that she was the girl of his dreams, but Harry was slowly losing faith in the idea of his dream girl. After all, Elaine could not be the girl of his dreams. She couldn't be, right?

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>This chapter of the story was written and published on _March 5, 2014_.

Part of me can't wait to finish this story, but another part is actually really sad that the ending is drawing nearer. This is like the longest story I've written on here. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the update. I'll see you guys in the next one!

Thanks for reading! And don't forget to review :)

- May


	21. Chapter 21

**FULL SUMMARY: **Dream after dream, Harry Potter sees a girl that just give him butterflies in his stomach; he is thoroughly convinces that this girl does to Hogwarts with him. His only problem with her? Every time he comes close to seeing the face of this girl, he wakes up from his dreams. So when he tells his best gal pal Elaine Port, she laughs and tries to convince Harry that maybe his so-called "dream girl" really is just in his dreams. Is Elaine right? Or is Harry's dream girl a reality?

* * *

><p><strong>DISCLAIMER:<strong> Though I find this completely unnecessary, I feel somewhat obligated to state that the Harry Potter franchise does not belong to me. Also, as you read the story, keep in mind that this is simply a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either products of their rightful owner's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

* * *

><p><strong>STORY DEDICATION:<strong> To swiftscout – the girl who used to mock my obsession for Harry Potter until she read the books cover to cover – this one's for you.

* * *

><p><span>Chapter Twenty-One – If Not Her, Then Who?<span>

The next few days for Harry and Elaine were a struggle. While Elaine did everything she could to avoid him, Harry tried everything in his power to talk to Elaine. Elaine went as far as skipping meals or arriving earlier to the Great Hall; meanwhile, Harry would skip meals while waiting for her in the Gryffindor Common Room or he would show up to the dining hall much earlier than the rest of the students. It was safe to say that the two never crossed paths, much to Harry's dismay.

"You can't avoid him forever," Hermione scolded.

She and Elaine were sitting in the library, surrounded by books. Although it was nothing out of the ordinary for the two friends, Hermione glanced at the unopened books before her. She knew there was a reason why Elaine had begged her to come to the library.

"I can sure as hell _try_, Hermione," Elaine hissed back.

"But the library?" Hermione asked. "Really, Elaine? First of all, we don't have anything due for the next couple of weeks and there aren't any exams coming up until June."

"And here I thought I was doing you a _favor_," Elaine said bitterly. "I thought you would have _loved _a trip to the library to finish you assignments earlier."

Hermione shot Elaine a threatening look. "You don't have to be such a bleeder about it! And besides, it seems as though I'm doing _you _the favor, not the other way around."

"Hermione, I don't know what you're talking about-."

Hermione stood from her seat in the library, pulling Elaine pull with her. Outraged with her friend, Hermione yanking Elaine out the room of books and into the halls.

"What the effing hell, Hermione? What's got your knickers in a knot?" Elaine shouted at Hermione as she struggled out of Hermione's grasp. "I thought you wanted to finish your assignments."

"In case you didn't notice, I didn't exactly bring anything with me," Hermione barked. "You didn't either. Elaine, can you _please _just stop pretending? I know that you're avoiding Harry, but Elaine, it shouldn't be this drastic! Why are you so bent out of shape about what happened?"

"I _can't _face him, Hermione!" Elaine sighed, trying to walk away.

Hermione followed. "Elaine, _you've been skipping meals_."

"Not all the time!"

"More often than not! You've lost weight… a little too much, if I may add," Hermione replied. "I'm worried about you. _Both_ of you."

"What's there to worry about, Hermione? Harry Potter is happily dating the girl of his dreams!" Elaine remarked furiously.

Hermione glared at Elaine, forcing her to stop. "Well if you weren't so hung up on avoiding him," she shot back equally angry, "you would have known that he and Ginny broke up."

"What?" Elaine was dumbfounded. Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley broke up? "But she's the girl of his dreams! Why would he do that?"

"Oh _now _you care?" Hermione scoffed. "Elaine, Ginny wasn't the girl of his dreams."

"You're lying."

"If you had paid more attention to Harry instead of investing your time to avoid him, you would have noticed," Hermione said. "In fact, if you left the dormitory every now and then, you would have _seen _the breakup… it was actually pretty nasty. But no! You've been selfishly dodging Harry every change you get!"

"Wait… he broke up with her?"

"Well, she broke up with him," Hermione corrected. "But you wouldn't know that, would you? Because you've isolated yourself from the rest of us!"

"They're not… together anymore…" Elaine whispered to herself. "Ginny's going to kill me…"

Hermione stared at Elaine in shock. Shaking her head, Hermione sighed as though giving up on her friend. "There you go, thinking about yourself again! Elaine, what happened to you? Ugh, you know what? Forget I said anything, if you need me, I'll be with Ronald in the common room."

Elaine stood alone in the halls as Hermione stormed off. She looked at the floor below her feet. She couldn't believe it. Why did Harry break up with the supposed girl of his dreams? What the hell was going on?

"But she's the girl of his dreams!" she whispered to herself.

She was confused as ever now. What were the chances that Harry's dream girl wasn't Ginny? All signs pointed to her, didn't they?

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><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>This chapter of the story was written on _March 6, 2014_.

I would like to thank everyone that added this story to their favorites or anyone that's following this. It means a lot to me that you guys really like this story! I know I say that a lot, but I really don't know how else to phrase it.

I would like to dedicate this chapter to anyone you has left a review for this story within the past couple of months. I know that there've been super long hiatuses for this story and, as I've said in the past chapters, I am _really _sorry about that. I promised that I would try to finish this chapter within the month and I'm doing all that I can to stick to that promise.

Please don't forget to leave a review! Also, I want to thank you guys for taking the time to read this story. Feel free to check out any other story that I've published that might tickle your fancy. :]

Love you, guys!

- May


	22. Chapter 22

**FULL SUMMARY: **Dream after dream, Harry Potter sees a girl that just give him butterflies in his stomach; he is thoroughly convinces that this girl does to Hogwarts with him. His only problem with her? Every time he comes close to seeing the face of this girl, he wakes up from his dreams. So when he tells his best gal pal Elaine Port, she laughs and tries to convince Harry that maybe his so-called "dream girl" really is just in his dreams. Is Elaine right? Or is Harry's dream girl a reality?

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><p><strong>DISCLAIMER:<strong> Though I find this completely unnecessary, I feel somewhat obligated to state that the Harry Potter franchise does not belong to me. Also, as you read the story, keep in mind that this is simply a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either products of their rightful owner's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

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><p><strong>STORY DEDICATION:<strong> To swiftscout – the girl who used to mock my obsession for Harry Potter until she read the books cover to cover – this one's for you.

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><p><span>Chapter Twenty-Two – We Need To Talk<span>

Harry stared at the unused fireplace as Hermione and Ron sat on the couch together – just as he had hours before Hermione and Ron came into the common room. Finally, he turned to face his two best friends.

"What am I doing wrong?" he asked before collapsing on the squishy armchair beside the fireplace. "She's never at the Great Hall when I am. She's always the first one to leave class, so it's impossible to talk to her. When we're not in class, she either in the girls' dormitory or somewhere else in the castle where I can't find her."

"You could try using the Map," Ron suggested. "It never lies, remember?"

"Ronald, Harry knows that invading Elaine's privacy is wrong-."

"Whenever I look at the Map," Harry admitted, "she's in her dormitory. Why is Elaine even avoiding me? It's not like she did anything wrong! ... did I though?"

Ron scratched the back of his head as Hermione stared at Harry sympathetically.

"Harry, it wasn't your fault," Hermione sighed. "It's no one's. I think you and Elaine have a lot of misunderstandings; this is just one of them."

"I guess…"

"Harry," Hermione went on, "if you want my advice, stay in the common room after Ron and I leave for our dorms. Elaine's still roaming the halls; she's bound to come up eventually though."

Harry half-smiled. "Thanks, Hermione. That means a lot to me," he replied. "But what am I going to do when I get her alone? It's not like talking will be the easiest of tasks."

Hermione stood up, pulled Ron to her level and smiled at Harry sincerely. "I'm sure you'll know when it comes to you. Good night, Harry. I'll see you tomorrow morning."

Kissing Ron on the cheek, Hermione quickly made her way to her dormitory.

"What am I gonna do, Ron?"

"Well… Hermione's right," Ron said. "You'll know when it comes to you. By the way, I think it's worth mentioning to her about you and Ginny… and explain _everything _to her."

Harry groaned to himself. "If she'll even listen!"

"It's still worth a shot," Ron responded. "I'm turning in too, Harry. See you tomorrow morning."

Harry watched as Ron turned to leave the common room. Now he was alone in the dimly lit room, waiting for Elaine. He didn't know how long he would have to wait, but Harry figured it was worth it if he could fix the relationship. It was still fixable, right?

"I think we need to talk," a voice said from behind Harry.

Harry averted his gaze quickly. His heart stopped at the sight of the girl before him. Her light brown hair a tangled mess. Her brown eyes dulled from the stress and anxiety he could only assume he caused. Her figured much thinner from before.

"Elaine…" he said, still taking in the sight of her. "… yeah, I think that's what we need to do."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>This chapter of the story was written and published on _March 11, 2014_.

My apologies for the five-day delay and for the shortness of this update! I spent a majority of that time working on the newest story. And if you guys have checked out my profile within the last few hours or so, you'll know it's still untitled. Haha, but that's beside the point. What do you guys think of the story thus far? Is there anything from the list that you want to see me start? For those of you that don't know what I'm talking about, there's a new list on my profile that lists the upcoming projects I'm working on. Leave a review to let me know which ones you want to see right after this story is completed! :D

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it. Also special thanks to those of you that have left a review for this story. It really means a lot to me! :]

See you guys in the next update!

- May


	23. Falling For You

**FULL SUMMARY: **Dream after dream, Harry Potter sees a girl that just give him butterflies in his stomach; he is thoroughly convinces that this girl does to Hogwarts with him. His only problem with her? Every time he comes close to seeing the face of this girl, he wakes up from his dreams. So when he tells his best gal pal Elaine Port, she laughs and tries to convince Harry that maybe his so-called "dream girl" really is just in his dreams. Is Elaine right? Or is Harry's dream girl a reality?

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><p><span><strong>chapter 23 – falling for you<strong>

Elaine and Harry sat on opposite ends of the couch together. Though their conversation started out as awkward, the tension between them melted away when Harry mentioned the trials to find the girl of his dreams. He noticed, however, that Elaine grew uncomfortable the more they talked about… so why did she go on talking about it with him?

Then he mentioned his breakup with Ginny…

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that," Elaine whispered, turning away from him.

The fire glowed against the dimly light common room. Harry sighed to himself, recalling the moment of the breakup.

"It wasn't that bad," he admitted. "To be honest, the worst part of it all is that when I look at my reflection."

Elaine nodded. "That you have to look at the boy who led her to believe all these nonsensical things like that she was the one?"

Harry scratched the back of his head uneasily. "Actually," he confessed, "it's because of the bruise she left on my cheek."

"Oh my gosh! Harry, are you okay?" Elaine jumped to her feet and knelt beside him quickly. "You look terrible!"

Harry shrugged. "It's fine!" he said with a laugh. "Honestly, it didn't hurt at all."

Elaine rolled her eyes and she took Harry's hand in hers. She gave it a light squeeze before sighing. Slowly, she pushed herself up from the ground and took the seat beside Harry. She still kept his hand in hers.

"Elaine, I think that's what we need to talk about," Harry muttered, staring at their interlocked hands. "Ginny wasn't the girl of my dreams."

"What are you talking about? I thought all signs pointed to her!"

"But they also pointed to someone else…" Harry whispered, moving his gaze to her. Taking in her physical features once more, Harry inhaled. "Look, when I started looking for the girl of my dreams, I felt so bad after breaking up with whichever girl I went out with… and then to come back to the common room to have you breathing down my back made me feel even_ worse_!"

"I'm sorry you felt that way," Elaine replied with a frown as she inched closer to Harry. "I guess I was just… jealous…"

"No, no!" Harry said. "It's good that you did that. And it's good that I went through this! It went to prove that my feelings before all of this were stronger than anything that a dream could give me!

"Elaine, you were always there in the back of my mind when I went on these dates. And then on my date with Ginny… oh gosh, the thought of you was just so insurmountable that it made me feel even worse being with Ginny!"

"So why did you continue to go out with her?" Elaine wondered sadly. "If that's how you really felt about all of this, then why?"

Harry scanned the room in a panicked frenzy. Elaine had a valid point; why did he do all of this? None of it was making any sense at all and here he was spurting out whatever he felt – even if it did not correspond with how he felt at all.

"Elaine, you were the one who was always hinting that I should be with Ginny," Harry pressed. "You always made jokes about how I liked her… even when I didn't."

"So then why did you go out with her?" Elaine shouted, finally releasing her hold on his hand. She jumped to her feet in a rage. "If you didn't like her at all, then why did you go out with her for so long?"

"I guess I convinced myself that she was the girl of my dreams," Harry said, getting up from the couch. He grabbed Elaine's wrist in hopes to calm her down. "Please hear me out!"

"Why should I, Harry?" she asked temperamentally.

Harry sighed, "Because I know how I feel about you now! I know that completely now. You're the girl of my dreams!"

Elaine smiled faintly as Harry before shaking her head. A frown now appeared on her face before she let out a sorrowful sigh. "You know that now…?" she said dejectedly.

"Yes," Harry said with a smile as she approached her. "You're the girl from my dreams. It's always been you!"

Still shaking her head, Elaine sighed once more. She was finally hearing what she wanted to hear; she, Elaine Avery Port, was the girl of Harry Potter's dreams. She was everything he had been looking for, so why was she having such a hard time believe in all of it?

"Harry… we can't do this," Elaine whispered as she wrapped her arms around herself.

"WHAT?" Harry shouted at her. "Isn't this what you wanted to hear? Elaine, I thought you felt the same way!"

"Do you have any idea how many girls you have gone out with in the past couple of months?" The downcast look on Elaine's face grew even gloomier.

Harry went wide-eyed as he stared at Elaine. "That was because I needed to test the waters of relationships! I needed to find the one! You told me that I should go out there and find her! Why can't you accept-?"

"I never needed to test my feelings for you," Elaine choked on her words as the tears began to form. "Ever since we met, I _knew _you were the one for me. I was ready to give you everything…! I figured this would be the year I made my effort. I learned how to do my makeup ad I even grew my hair out. I did all of this for you!"

Elaine's unexpected interruption stunned Harry. How was he supposed to response to her? He couldn't tell her that he didn't notice her new look; otherwise, he would be lying. He couldn't exactly admit to her that he wanted to abandon his wild goose chase just to go out with her; honestly, the thought never really crossed his mind. He had been so set on finding the girl from his dreams that nothing else seemed to matter.

"I'm sorry…" he blurted out softly and slowly.

"I forgive you," Elaine said, letting her arms fall to her sides. "I forgive you for going on all those dates. I forgive you for leading on those poor girls. I forgive you for almost everything that happened because of your silly dreams… but, Harry… the fact that you needed to test the waters of a relationship… that you needed to find the one and tried to do so time and time again… Harry, if it took you a dream to show you all of this, then I don't know how to feel about you anymore.

"I can't forgive you for only believing you like me because of a dream," she began to sob uncontrollably. "Up until recently, you made everyone believe you had feelings for Ginny. What happens if that happens again with me?"

Elaine turned to make her way to the common room, but Harry was quicker. He lunged forward and tried to grab her wrist once more; unfortunately, however, Harry slipped over his own feet and collapsed, hitting his head forcefully against the table across the couch.

"Harry!" was the last thing he heard Elaine scream out before he fell into complete darkness.

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><p><strong>- author's note -<strong>

**[****rewritten****]: **_march 22, 2014  
><em>**[****word count****]:**_ 1,218 words without summary and a/n_

**[****mv comments****]: **_for those of you who have checked this story regularly, you know that due to a series of messages, i forced myself to revamp the entire story. however once i got to the third chapter, i decided that it wasn't fair of me to keep the story from progressing simply because of a few messages. i will be reediting the story later on, but it will be a little after finishing this. that way you will have the option to reread it if you please. thank you for taking the time to read this update. i hope you enjoyed it! don't forget to leave a review~ xoxo, may._


	24. The Girl of My Dreams

**CHAPTER DEDICATION(S): **

_This final chapter is dedicated to all of you. Thank you for bearing with the lengthy hiatuses that came with this story and thank you for accompanying me on the journey of this story! It has been a pleasure. – MV_

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><p><span>Chapter 24 – The Girl of My Dreams<span>

Total and complete darkness eclipsed his mind as Harry found himself drowning in blackness of his thoughts. He spent what seemed like _hours_ calling out for Elaine – for _anyone_ – to help him escape from the shadows from which he was now trapped. Was he _stuck_ forever in this nightmarish state?

No, he told himself, he couldn't be. If he were, _she _would save him. She would help him escape back to reality! She did it all the time, right? Just before the dream became too real, he would be pulled out of his dreams.

But why was nothing happening now?

This dream – or rather, _nightmare_ – was becoming all too real, and yet, still no savior. Still no Elaine… Harry could feel the darkness engulf his lungs as he continued to call out for help. It was almost choking him!

"Elaine…" he coughed out. "Please… my subconscious really was trying to tell me something. Please… you have to listen to me!"

Silence once more.

What was he expecting though? Harry fell to his knees, crawling desperately to find a way out. He felt like he was suffocating because of the darkness that surrounded him. Where was the pure light he saw in his dreams days before? Where was _she_?

"Elaine!" he stifled, his gaze weakly skating across the darkened horizon. "I need you! _You_ are the girl of my dreams; it was _always _you."

Harry was growing frailer with every breath he took. After a short while, he felt as though his head was too heavy to keep up. And soon, Harry collapsed to the ground. His face pressed against the cold floor as his eyelid grew heavier.

Continuing to call out for Elaine, Harry curled up into a tight ball and slowly began to shut his eyes. Though he fought to keep them open, his body gave up the fight. Just as he was about to shut his eyes, a bright light emerged from the darkness – but it was too late. Harry had permanently slipped into the darkness.

"Elaine…" he muttered to himself, his eyes still shut tightly. "Elaine…"

* * *

><p>His eye fluttered open as Harry felt a cool, damp compress smoothed out across the top of his forehead. He stared at the high ceiling above him as he felt a familiar warm surround his body.<p>

"Rise and shine, Sleeping Beauty," Ginny greeted sarcastically, slowly removing the compress.

Harry pushed himself up from the bed, forcing himself to face Ginny. Where were they? He scanned his surroundings and concluded there was only one place in the castle he could possibly be.

"Hermione and Ron brought you in last night," she explained as Madam Pomfrey huffed about the Hospital Wing. Ginny and Harry both watched as she aided the other patients. "They figured you took a nasty blow to the head and they raced you here immediately."

Confusion dawned on Harry as Ginny proceeded to explain. Why was she even being civil with him? Harry winced as a familiar dullness in the back of his head began to throb. He gaped at the youngest Weasley as he tried to justify her well-mannered behavior.

Perhaps she felt sorry for him, he thought. Or maybe she realized that she was overreacting! Harry mentally smacked himself for even suggesting the latter.

"Ginny," he hacked, his voice still frail, "where's Elaine?"

Almost instantly, Harry regret bringing her up around Ginny. He watched as a fire grew violently in her eyes.

"Oh," she hissed. "Harry, she's the reason you're in here."

Before Harry could explain to Ginny that it wasn't Elaine's fault, Hermione and Ron burst through the doors of the Hospital Wing. The two of them struggled to make their way over to Harry as they carried two trays full of food.

"Thank goodness you're awake!" Hermione remarked, dumping the food on Harry's lap. "You gave us all a scare last night when you collapsed."

Now what was _she_ talking about? Harry scratched the back of his head as Ron plopped himself into the chair beside Harry's bed. The jet-black haired boy touched his forehead, trying to recall what happened the night before. How could he have given them all a scare if only he and Elaine were at the scene?

Maybe she rushed to get them the moment it happened…

"He's asking for _her_," Ginny mumbled to Hermione and Ron.

Hermione bit her lip nervously while Ron's facial features hardened. Harry was baffled at the reactions his friends were having toward Elaine. It just didn't add up – what happened?

"Guys," Harry found the strength to speak up once again, "I have to apologize to her. I feel _terrible_ for what I did."

"Are you mental?" Ron barked at Harry through a mouthful of toast. "That bloody girl owes _you_ the apology."

Shooting Ron a dumbfounded look, Harry shook his head. He could not believe his friends. Where did they get off saying things like that? Surely, they did not believe that Elaine purposely landed him in the Hospital Wing during their time alone together.

"What are you talking about?" Harry shot back. "I _hurt_ her!"

"_You're _the one in the Hospital Wing!" Hermione remarked.

His friends continued to gawk at him. Harry began to explain what happened the night before in the Gryffindor Common Room. He even told Hermione and Ron about the things that Elaine had told him. He spoke apologized to Ginny for hurting her in the process. And Harry told them _everything _that happened over the course of the past year – from the reason he started looking for his dream girl to the moment he knew his search was over.

However, this only caused the bewildered stares to worsen. Ron and Ginny exchanged a look with Hermione, half-expecting her to figure out what was wrong with Harry.

"Harry…" Hermione sucked in some air before going on. "… I don't know what you're talking about, but you're not in here because you hit your head in the common room. You're in here because you hit your head after the duel with Malfoy last night…"

Harry felt his whole world crumbling. What was Hermione trying to say? He felt himself getting weaker again as he put the pieces together himself. Had he just _imagined _everything?

"But when I asked about Elaine, you all reacted!" Harry remarked, finding a sliver of hope. "She exists! Run up to your dorm and get her, Hermione! She can tell you_ everything_! From how my parents defeated Voldemort last year to what happened last night! I know she will; I'm not imagining _anything_."

Hermione tightly shut her eyes as she shook her head. Ron and Ginny stared at each other before staring back at the floor.

"Harry," Ginny began, "… you're the Boy Who Lived for a reason. That scar on your head is proof enough…"

Scar…? Oh no. Harry felt his stomach tighten as realization dawned on him. Ron and Hermione _weren't _dating. He and Ginny had _never _gone out – same went for all the other girls. That also meant that Voldemort was still out there. It meant that his parents were still dead. And now, he was in the Hospital Wing because he apparently hit his head on the floor… but that still didn't answer why they reacted the way the had.

"But… Elaine," Harry whispered softly. "… she's out there."

While the world around him seemed to shatter away, his friends explained to him the impossibilities of his story. So it was all a dream? The throbbing in the back of Harry's head worsened the more he thought about it. Slowly, it was all starting to make sense. His inability to feel any physical pain, his impotence to remember anything that Elaine mentioned from his past, _everything_ was starting to make sense!

And it _killed_ him.

Just then, Ron cleared his throat, snapping Harry back to reality. Ginny stood at the foot of the hospital bed, crossing her arms furiously across her chest. Hermione, who sat at Harry's bedside, stiffened as she pursed her lips together tightly. Although Ron continued to stuff food in his face, it was obvious there was an unspoken tension that suddenly surrounded the air.

Harry scanned the Hospital Wing to see what had changed the atmosphere. Madam Pomfrey was no longer hustling and bustling about the room; she was now assisting someone at the far end of the wing. But that couldn't be why his friends were so angry, he reasoned.

Then, his eyes fell upon the girl with whom Madam Pomfrey was speaking. His heart stopped as she scratched the back of her head. Her long light-brown curls cascaded just a little past her shoulders. Her brown eyes – though filled with worry and guilt – were still as mesmerizing as he had remembered. However, a frown slowly began to form on his face when he took a good look at the girl.

The Boy Who Lived panicked silently as Madam Pomfrey began to approach him – the girl trailing closely behind. What was he supposed to say? If he was in a duel with Malfoy, why were his friends blaming _her_?

"Mr. Potter," the caregiver's stern voice echoed the eerily quiet room, "you have another visitor."

Poking her head out from behind Madam Pomfrey's shoulder, the girl sent Harry an apologetic smile. His friends continued to glare at her as Madam Pomfrey retreated back to the other patients. Harry sighed; it was _now _or _never._

The frown on Harry's face only grew worse as he caught a better glimpse at the girl he knew as Elaine. He had hoped that it had been a trick of the light, but the closer she stepped toward him, the clearer it became. She wasn't a Gryffindor; she was a Ravenclaw. His thoughts only began to exacerbate as he thought of all the other possible alternations his subconscious had made.

"Hello…" the girl greeted meekly, the apologetic smile still plastered on her face. "I'm… the girl who ran into you last night. And I apologize _completely_ for all of this; I'm such a klutz…! I should have been watching where I was going-."

But suddenly, Harry didn't care. He could care _less_ about _any _of the changes his mind made to this girl. He knew that it gave him a chance he didn't have in his dreams: the chance to get to know her.

"It was my own fault," Harry replied.

Ron, Hermione and Ginny shot Harry looks of disbelief. He was the one in the hospital bed _and _he was taking the blame! He understood their shock, but Harry also understood that it was probably more his fault that it was Elaine's. If he hadn't gotten caught up in trying to beat Malfoy to a pulp, he might've seen the petite Ravenclaw.

Harry sensed that he and Elaine wouldn't get anywhere with a conversation with his friends glaring at her like she was Malfoy. Scratching the back of his neck, Harry politely dismissed his friends, explaining to them that he would see them in the common room sometime later. And although they were somewhat outraged by this, Harry was completely unmoved by it.

There was something drawing him to the girl; he wanted to get to know her. He wasn't going to waste time looking for _the one_ when the universe had practically given him another chance at it. And he certainly was not going to waste anytime with this one.

As the trio left Harry, the Ravenclaw smiled at Harry. "How rude of me!" she squeaked. "I'm Elle - Elle Port."

Her name was Elle Port? Harry extended his hand to hers. "Harry Potter," he said. "Forgive me for saying this, but I thought your name was Elaine."

She giggled. "My full name is Elle Layne Port, so I can see why you thought that."

Elle was _nothing_ like Elaine was. Sure, they looked the same but they were two entirely different people. And to Harry, that was okay. Honestly, it was _perfect_.

"I'd like to believe this is the start of a weird, but beautiful friendship," she said. "It's pleasure to meet you, by the way."

"Oh, we've met before," Harry replied with a happy sigh. He thought back to everything he had gone through in the course of one night. A smile slowly began to form on his face as Harry continued to stare at the sweet, shy, placid Ravenclaw that stood before him. Maybe she wasn't Elaine, but she _did_ resemble someone else from his dream – someone Harry thought he would never be able to put a face to.

"We have?" Elle wondered, a familiar smile appearing on her face.

"Once upon a dream…"

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><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE<strong>

**[REWRITTEN]: **_July 19, 2014_**  
>[REPUBLISHED]: <strong>_July 19, 2014_**  
>[LAST UPDATED]: <strong>_July 19, 2014_**  
>[WORD COUNT]: <strong>_2,096+ words without a/n, summary, disclaimer and dedications._

**[MV COMMENTS]: **_thank you for everything, you guys. keep a lookout for the newest hp-fanfic i've got coming out. it'll be out shortly. thank you guys again for your amazing support. i love you all! ~ xoxo, mv._


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